AU Retribution
by Kazthom
Summary: Wiktionary states than an alternate universe is: "An imaginary realm, often a variant form of the real world, depicting a different way events could have unfolded or the universe could have functioned." This is my alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

Author Notes: I own nothing related to Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. I am simply borrowing the characters to have a little fun with them.

* * *

Music.

There was one thing he could always count on hearing at the base and that was music. It played when they were working out, making repairs and eating dinner and ranged from just before the war started back to mid-twentieth century. He never knew what was going to come on next, though he could tell who was controlling the playlist by the type of music.

Scout was in charge at the moment, with the sounds of the 'big bands' echoing through the rather cavernous command center. The acoustics weren't the greatest, but the area had been turned into an impromptu party setting when the music had started. Hawk had been dancing with Pilot, keeping it simple. She was still unsure of exactly _what_ dancing was, but the times he'd glanced up, Power could see the smile on her face as Hawk led her around the floor. He smirked when Tank cut in, lifting Pilot right off the ground. She looked like she was going to protest, then simply put up her hands in a show of surrender.

He watched them for a moment, wondered when it was that he'd last danced. Too long, if he couldn't even remember the occasion. The others had danced at the base quite often and he'd envied their ability to drop their cares and just dance. He doubted there had ever been a time he'd been able to do that. Maybe when he was seven or eight and his mother had turned on some music?

That would have to change. But not at this moment.

Jon turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He needed to complete the journal entry, while the information was fresh in his mind. "Database Journal 47-12 Mark 15." Almost the end of another year. Would the start of the next one bring any relief, any little bit of hope to what was left of mankind? He thought of the old tradition of making resolutions for the new year. With fighting for their very survival, he doubted anyone would keep something like this in mind. But the idea gave him hope. He would give some thought to it later, perhaps even make a few of his own resolutions. "Hard to believe, but we've beaten Project New Order three and a half falls out of four. Dread's on the run. I should be happy – and I am. Question is, when will he strike back? And how?"

Jon looked up again as Scout cut in on Tank.

"Let Fred Astaire show you how it's done." The young man took Jennifer by the hand and waist, twirling her away.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the surprised 'whoa!' that escaped Pilot's mouth. She tried so hard to learn, but she just couldn't compete with their years of experience.

"Fred Astaire?" Tank asked Hawk. Tank's face showed his confusion. The disparity in the upbringings of Tank and Pilot to the rest of the team, possibly even most of society, was evident in situations like this. Both had been raised away from popular culture, their attentions focused only on their duties.

Masterson grinned, as much at the big man's confusion as Pilot's exclamation. "He was a younger man."

Jon's attention drifted back to the journal entry. He had no answers for the questions he'd just asked and didn't want to tempt fate by making any predictions.

"The system will tell us if there's an emergency. I think the world can do without Captain Power for half an hour." Hawk clapped him on shoulder, startling him. He'd been across the room. How had he missed him walking over?

It didn't matter. Matt had a keen sense of awareness when it came to Jon and he didn't want to receive another lecture about all work and no play, not stopping to smell the roses, or any other adage that would fit the situation. Jon forced a smile at him, though he knew Matt would see through it. "In a minute. I just wanna check –"

"How about some munchies, Captain?" He was cut off mid-thought by Tank and was more than a little shocked when a plate of food was placed on the console in front of him. What were they doing, ganging up on him? Jon laughed at the thought, until he saw Scout walk up beside Hawk with a glass.

"It's only mineral water, but right now it tastes like vintage champagne."

They were definitely ganging up on him. What could he do? He took the glass from his sergeant, deciding whether a reprimand was in order for all of them.

"I seem to have run out of dance partners."

Blue eyes met his as he turned. She stood there, hands in the pockets of her flight suit, a shy smile greeting him.

As the rest of his team stepped back, Power had to force himself not to gape at them. Whether Pilot was in on it or not, he realized Hawk, Tank and Scout had just set him up for the next dance with her.

And as she slowly moved around the chair, extending her hand to him, Jon realized he didn't want to fight this one. The 'vintage champagne' could wait. The 'munchies', the journal entry, the monitoring could all wait.

His fingers gently curled around hers as he stood, and he saw the flush on her cheeks. That same color had been there when he'd kissed her cheek on the jumpship not so long ago. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes then, but she was now. Even with their three teammates watching them.

Barely taking his eyes off her, Jon unbuckled his weapons belt and placed it on the chair. He heard Scout chuckle, but all he could see was Jennifer's smile. And the sparkle in her eyes.

Yes, the world certainly could do without him for half an hour.

He reached for her hand, felt her fingers slip into his. A look flashed across her face as his hand moved to her lower back, drawing her in closer. Was she nervous? He knew physical contact was something that still occasionally bothered her, but her fingers brushed his arm, lightly held it as they danced. That shy smile remained.

She grew more uneasy as they continued dancing and he realized she'd seen the others and the way they watched them. How could he reassure her? How could he let her know that it was okay for them to be like this?

He lightly squeezed her hand and moved a little closer to her. And as she looked up at him, he couldn't help but smile. He would simply continue dancing with her until someone cut in or she decided she'd danced enough.

* * *

"Status report!"

Overunit Mead had heard the footsteps before the command had been given and had prepared a response in anticipation of Dread's arrival. The news he was reporting would be well received, given the extent of the damages Volcania had sustained. "Damage control reports Sections One, Three, Seven and Nine returning to online status. Repairs to primary laser systems -"

Dread cut him off, his attention on the vid screen in front of him. "So. Much. DAMAGE!" He nearly roared the last word. "We must move faster. Push the repair schedule ahead six hours."

"My lord?" His demand was simply not possible. Did he even understand how difficult the situation was? Did he understand the mechs they'd lost, the overunits and Youth that had died in the attack? They were pushed to capacity and with their already limited resources, there was simply no way to proceed faster.

"And run the defense simulation drill again."

Mead was incredulous. "My lord, we've run it five times already." The drill was essentially useless, now that Power had inflicted the damage. Better to wait until the perimeter defense systems had been re-calibrated following the repairs before adding in any necessary changes.

Dread turned away from the screen, pure evil crossing his face at the insubordination. Mead realized, too late, that his unrestrained comment had invoked Dread's rage.

"Then you will run it a sixth time. And a seventh." Dread advanced on him. "You will run the simulation and you will keep running the simulation until this base is secure."

Mead could do nothing but hope he lived through this. Though he dared not show it, all he felt was relief when Dread finally left.

Dread stalked into his chamber room, barely acknowledging his two BioDreads as they stood at attention, then saluted him as he walked past. He could feel Soaron's intense focus on him as he continued to his console yet ignored him.

"You are not well, my Lord?" The BioDread's voice held a hint of surprise. "The battle with power is –"

"- is over." Dread cut him off as he spread his arms, staring intently at the readouts in front of him. When he looked up, he spoke with conviction. "But the war, Soaron, oh that is something else again. When he sees me next, Power will find a very different opponent. Soon, I will throw off the bonds of this flesh and then we shall see indeed." The plans for his transformation to a fully mechanized form were in their final stages. Soon, he would be freed from the bonds of this human form. He would no longer require food or sleep. His quest for perfection would soon be realized and he would rain down his fury on Power and the rest of the human ilk that refused to submit to him.

Soaron and Blastarr closed ranks before him, Soaron putting its hands on its hips in a strangely human gesture as Blastarr spoke. "My Lord, you have a mission for us?" It raised its arm almost triumphantly at the prospect of blowing something up.

Soaron was already shaking its head in contradiction. "For ME, ground crawler! Not us!"

Blastarr waved its digitizer at Soaron, looking like it wanted to hit the creature for being insolent. "Something you wish ME to destroy?"

Dread ignored their antics, lost in his own thoughts. "We have been proceeding in error, my warlords. Until this moment, we have put all our energies into creating the New Order. But there can be no New Order and no gleaming perfect world until all resistance has been eliminated. THAT must be our new goal."

Soaron took several steps forward and spread its wings, nearly knocking Blastarr off balance. "And what of Power, my Lord?"

When Dread spoke, his voice initially carried regret. As he continued speaking, though, his animosity grew. "I once thought he could be saved, but no longer. There is no place in our perfect world for him or any of his kind."

As he spoke, Blastarr brought its fist to the palm of its hand in appreciation and anticipation of the damage it would get to inflict. It was ready to destroy something. Anything. And everything.

"We must find him, and we must hurt him. Badly. Poison his resources, cripple his supply lines, destroy his outposts. Strip him of everything he holds dear!" His voice suddenly became more menacing as the future came into full view. "Alive or dead, whatever it takes, we must push him from the face of this planet."

Dread watched with pride as Soaron raised its digitizer and extended it, also anticipating the glory he would bring to their mission.

Turning to leave, Soaron verbally assaulted its BioDread brother. "Out of my way, crack case."

Blastarr growled at it as both left Dread's chamber, setting out in opposite directions.

* * *

Shouts erupted as a ragtag group of resistance fighters picked their way quickly through the maze of barely standing buildings, all the while firing blasters at the advancing mechs. Power and Hawk brought up the rear, blocking their escape as they picked off the mechs with their more advanced weaponry.

"Tank, Scout, angle off! Open up a second front! Give us some time to get these people out of here!" Jon ordered his lieutenant and sergeant as he and Hawk jumped over some debris on the ground.

Scout and Tank moved into position and began eliminating the mechs with deadly accuracy, sparks flying as the metal soldiers fell to the ground. With the fight more under control, Jon and Hawk herded the group toward the jumpship.

Blastarr's voice roared over their retreat. "Search and DESTROY! Take no prisoners!" The additional troops accompanying the BioDread advanced with their armored vehicle, weapons ready to eliminate anything organic that crossed their path.

Scout poked his head out of the building he'd taken cover in and immediately pulled back as the mechs came into view. Quickly formulating a plan, he waited, blaster ready, until the entire squad passed by. As Blastarr rolled through, Rob keyed in a code on his wrist controller. A mech shimmered into view where he stood, camouflaging himself just as Blastarr turned eyes on him.

"Move out!" the beast demanded, and Scout immediately followed the order.

With Blastarr now in front of the group, Scout converged on the mechs, planting a charge on each of their mechanical backs before retreating to find cover. The detonations began and the torn apart mechs went down in a heap of sparks and broken metal.

Not a hundred yards away, more troops began climbing over rocks, firing at Tank. He held his ground, still providing cover for Scout as he continued his mission.

With his holocam still activated, Rob climbed on board the now stopped armored vehicle. "Taxi!" he called, knocking the head off mech driving the vehicle just as Blastarr came into view.

Explosions erupted all around them as Tank fired mercilessly at the remaining troops. Blastarr returned fire with its fingertip electron blasters, its energy shield raised to protect itself from the Power team's onslaught.

Blastarr turned to the armored vehicle. "FIRE!"

"Yeah!" Scout responded from his position in the turret.

Blastarr's head reversed direction, as if not understanding the cry. "FIRE!"

Scout once again followed orders, directing a ten second burst of the laser cannon right at the BioDread. With a roar, Blastarr went down, fingers twitching.

Regrouping with Tank, Scout took down the holocam to conserve power in his suit. "He's out of it for a while. Let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive." Though he and Tank would have loved to destroy the beast, they knew the more important mission was to get the other fighters to safety.

Dread sat in his interlocker throne, his focus solely on his defeated BioDread. "Blastarr!" He repeated the name again, then spoke slowly and with conviction. "Blastarr, I command you to get up."

Blastarr's agonized voice came through the communications system. "Great. Pain."

Dread focused every ounce of his energy on the connection he had with the BioDread, his right hand twitching as if by sheer will alone, he could make the beast rise. "You. Will. Move." His hand slapped at the console. "By my will and by my blood you WILL move."

Though he couldn't see him, he could feel Blastarr clench its fist as he clenched his own. "Do NOT stop. Keep moving. I command you to keep moving." His voice became more determined and deadlier as Blastarr slowly climbed to its knees, then its feet.

It was not whole. It was moving, but it was no longer perfect. "System…disruption…"

Through its visually distorted display, Dread watched in disgust as Power's ship faded from view.

"Power is escaping!" Despite its malfunctions, Blastarr still retained enough control of its circuitry to track the ship as it banked left.

"Full magnification! Let me see them!" Dread ordered. Through their connection, the jumpship once again came into view, then disappeared through a blinding ring of light. "Teleportation! They DO have the technology!"

Blastarr's still unsteady voice came through. "It is good?"

"Good?!" This was far better than anything Dread had come across in months. "My warlord, thanks to you, I now possess their greatest secret. And with it, I can destroy them, once and for all!"


	2. Chapter 2

Jon stood just outside Jennifer's quarters for a moment, watching her through the open door. She was working at her desk, her feet propped up on the wheels of the chair, unaware of anything but the project in front of her.

Part of him wanted to walk away, pretend that he hadn't gotten this far. She would never know he'd been there, never know the thoughts racing through his mind. They would remain the captain and corporal, working as part of a team to free the world from Dread's wrath.

As he continued to watch her, he realized that was the easier way to go. But he didn't want easier anymore. He wanted to stop hiding his feelings from her. They had been tiptoeing around it for months now, both starting to admit what they were feeling, then pulling back. The dance they'd shared in the control room had made him realize just how much he wanted to be with her and how foolish he was for not acting on those feelings.

He bit the bullet and walked into her quarters, speaking before he lost his nerve. "Busy?"

Jennifer turned, startled by his voice. With a quick shake of her head, she swiveled the chair. "No. I'm…just going over a few things." She sat for a moment, watching him, then got up and gestured to the table he was standing near, sounding a bit excited about what was on it. "Some souvenirs of our battles. There've been a lot of them, haven't there?"

Jon had seen the table when he'd been at the door and realized she'd redecorated her quarters very recently. Now that he thought about it, she had pulled the table from the storage room just the other day. This must have been what she was up to. Looking down at it now, Jon recognized a sign that had hung on the wall at Haven, before it had been blown to bits. He remembered seeing Tank haul it into the jumpship, but didn't realize he had gotten it for Jennifer, not himself.

At the front of the table was 'The Lord of the Rings'. The book had been given to her as a peace offering by a young man named Randall from a town named Oasis. Jennifer had sought medical assistance there following a crash, but instead found herself on trial for her part in the destruction of another community named Sandtown when she was in the Dread Youth. When Randall had finally realized the truth, that it was his own uncle that had given up the location of their home, his bloodlust had turned to disbelief, then to sorrow. By the time they'd left Oasis, both Jennifer and Randall knew they had things to be sorry for but were learning to find forgiveness. For themselves, as well as each other. The book had been well received by the entire team and there had been many mealtime discussions about the characters and their growth over the course of the story.

Next to the book was a circuit breaker still attached to the band. A 'Scout Special'. She had used it during her infiltration of Med Lab One, a mission that had nearly driven him crazy with worry. He'd seen in her eyes how uncomfortable she'd been wearing the Dread Youth uniform and he'd been so close to calling off the mission, not wanting to put her through the mental trauma. She'd gone above and beyond, though. Not only had she secured the much-needed medication, she'd made another Youth question everything she'd been taught. Jon knew how much Jennifer wanted Erin to make the bold move to leave Dread, but she also knew how terrifying that choice had been for herself.

Jennifer was right. There had already been so many battles, on so many fronts. "Long way to go too." He looked at her and drew in a deep breath. He didn't want his fatigue and fear of losing to spill out and wash over her. She didn't need that, so he quickly added, "But we're getting there." With a bit of hesitation, he reached out and pulled the Dread Youth hat from the table.

She looked up at him, not quite meeting his gaze, though a soft smile raised the corners of her mouth.

The hat was rough in Jon's hands and he looked at it intently. He hated seeing it, but it was the biggest battle that she had ever faced, and he couldn't have been prouder of her for it. And yet, despite how proud of her he was, he still felt the pain deep inside at everything she'd gone through. The war she fought internally was as difficult as the one they all faced fighting Dread. Events like Oasis drove home the fact that she might never be able to put it behind her, no matter how much they all wanted it for her. He shook his head slightly as the memories flooded back. "I remember when we found you. Got you away from the Dread Youth. You were so full of rage."

Jon was so focused on his own thoughts that he failed to see her shoulders slump. "We were worried whether you were going to make it or not." A moment later, their eyes met, but only for a second before she looked down. "I'm glad you did." He couldn't stop the small smile as he purposely chose to use 'I' instead of 'we'. She had so many people on her side, so many people that loved her dearly, and he wanted her to know he was in that group, even if he'd never said it out loud.

When she looked up at him, those blue eyes were sparkling.

"I'm glad you're here with us." With those words, he saw color rise in her cheeks and he pressed forward. "Sometimes, I think I don't tell you that enough. How much you're needed. How much you're appreciated." He felt a pang deep in his heart when her eyes turned down shyly. She had come from such a dark place, fought so hard to believe in herself as much as those around her did. She'd been beaten so many times, both physically and verbally, for whom she had once been, and still she responded with a desire to be better than she was the day before. When he looked at her, all he saw was hope.

"I couldn't have done it without you." A hint of a smile was working its way onto her face. "You and the rest. You're my family."

Jennifer Chase did not take the word 'family' lightly and to hear her say it out loud never failed to make a lump form in his throat. He looked down at the hat still in his hands and wanted to rip it to shreds. Dread had taken so much from her and yet here she stood, declaring him part of her family. What had he done to deserve someone like her in his life? How could he ever make her understand that she was so much more than just a member of his team? That even 'family' didn't cover what she meant to him?

"Jon?"

He looked up at the tone of her voice. Before he could respond, she spoke again, her eyes locking onto his.

"I've wanted to tell you something for such a long time."

A chirp interrupted her and though he hated doing it, Jon opened the channel. The move made her blow out a deep breath and clench her jaw, then close her eyes. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of her sails and he immediately regretted his decision.

Scout's voice broke through. "Captain? Scout here. You said I should remind you when it's time to head out. Well…it's time."

He raised his communicator and spoke quickly, wanting to get back to Jennifer before the moment was gone. "We're on our way." What he didn't add was that it would be a minute. Or ten. He would give her whatever time she needed.

"You were saying?" He didn't move, his eyes locking on hers, letting her know she still had his attention. That the mission could wait.

Instead, she shook her head and smiled softly. "Later. It can wait."

The look in her eyes told him a completely different story. This was something she'd finally worked up the courage to say and he would be damned if bad timing was going to push it away to a place she might never be able to come back to. "We have time now."

He reached out to touch her arm, but she was already moving past him and out of her quarters.

Realizing he wasn't following her, she turned and looked at him. "We'll talk later, Jon. I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise." He desperately wanted to grab her hand, pull her back, and make her talk to him. Not later. Now.

With a nod, she was already down the corridor, heading to the hangar to prepare the jumpship for departure.

None of this had gone the way he'd wanted it to. He had no idea what she was going to tell him, but what he did know was that there was no point in trying to drag it out of her. They would talk when the mission was done. And she would know what she truly meant to him.

* * *

Power carefully picked his way through the debris-filled area, watching as the rest of his team came in from all directions, closing in a circle around Locke's signal.

The data springer had sent a message indicating he'd broken into Dread's intelliweb and retrieved data on troop strength and deployment. Data that they'd been waiting weeks for, with the potential for providing crucial information for upcoming missions.

A small orange glow came from ten meters ahead. Locke. Jon wondered how the springer managed to stay hidden, given his constant need for cigarettes. If the burning end didn't give him away, the smell certainly should have.

He saw Tank move into position behind him, his helmeted head now visible through a hole in the wall of the nearly broken-down building that had been chosen for the rendezvous. The springer looked nervous, glancing in all directions except the broken wall. When the lieutenant grabbed his shoulder and Locke jumped, Power felt a twinge in his gut. The springer was normally twitchy, but never like this.

Locke whirled on Tank and threw his head back in relief when he saw who it was. And Power was just within range to hear Locke whisper heatedly, "Geez, Man, don't DO that! How does a big guy like you move so quiet anyways?"

Tank responded very matter-of-factly, "Practice."

Power closed the distance, with Scout now coming up behind Locke. Hawk and Pilot filled in the space between them, effectively penning Locke in against the wall.

He turned to face the team, back to business mode as he acknowledged them with a nod.

"What do you have for us?" Jon asked tersely. The sooner they got out of there, the better. The cigarette smell was rank, and he didn't need it drawing any scavengers or marauders – or any other humans – to the area.

Locke reached inside his coat and pulled a disk from an inner pocket. "Troop movements, numbers, distribution of weapons, supply schedules, the works. The dbase for the entire Dread military. And something else you should know. Name 'Cypher' mean anything to you?"

He looked from face to face, searching them for something. What that something was, Jon couldn't put his finger on. Did he need something from Cypher? Jon looked at Hawk briefly; they'd have to acknowledge his existence if they wanted to know more. He'd give him just enough to satisfy him. "Head of Angel City resistance. Why?"

Locke looked at him, his curiosity piqued. "Dread's got him. They've taken him by convoy through sector nine, grid three."

The knot in Power's gut tightened a little more and he handed the disk to Scout. "When are they moving him?"

Locke twisted his fingers as he spoke. "Like, right NOW. He's got one hour before they get to the transfer point. After that? Even an army couldn't get him out."

Pilot motioned to the disk in Scout's hand. "Captain, if that information about troop strengths is correct, it could help us get Cypher out in one piece."

"You sure this stuff is solid?" Scout's voice carried the concern Power felt inside.

The words had no sooner left his mouth when a blaster shot connected with the wall just above Scout's head, sending sparks and shrapnel flying. They all ducked instinctively, looking for the direction it came from.

"Does THAT answer your question?!" Locke snapped.

"Come on!" Jon yanked on the springer's arm, dragging him with them as they bolted from the advancing squad of biomechs.

They readied themselves to counter the attack while they moved, then reacted with trained precision. Scout dropped in behind two of the mechs, dispatching one in the back before the second could even turn to take a shot. He quickly finished it off and pulled back to avoid the shower of sparks that came with its explosion.

Power continued working his way out of the area, his focus on getting Locke to safety. "Stay back!" His eyes were still on Scout as he shoved the springer back toward the relative safety of a more intact building, completely unaware of the mech hiding in a doorway until it had leaped on him.

With a surprised grunt, Jon landed hard on his stomach, his blaster dropping to the ground near him. As the mech rolled, he grabbed the gun and brought it up, sending the mech's head flying with a backhand strike.

Locke ducked, barely avoiding the head as Power went down to avoid another mech's shots. As he came up, he grabbed Locke and yanked hard on him, nearly throwing him to the side and relative safety.

"DOWN!"

Locke did as ordered and the mech was destroyed in an explosion of sparks and white light.

Pilot's voice buzzed through the comm in Power's helmet. "Tank! Time for some target practice!"

The big man responded immediately. "Just what I like to hear, Pilot!"

"What the hell are you two doing?!" Jon nearly shouted, seeing Chase run toward a dead-end with laser blasts colliding all around her.

She turned and held up her hands, seemingly cornered, with a rifle aimed at her midsection. "Guess you've got me, don't you?" Jon could hear the smirk in her voice.

Not a second later, Tank back fisted the mech's head and the body went down in a shower of sparks. "Get me two next time. They make good bookends," he teased her, lightly squeezing her armored shoulder.

Jon shook his head at the antics. He hated it when they got cocky like that, but understood where it was coming from, having pulled a stunt or four like that himself. But there was no point in tempting fate and he'd address it at their next team meeting. For now, though, they had to get Locke out of the area and figure out what to do about Cypher.

Once again yanking Locke with him as he moved, Jon fired at one last mech that had escaped and watched it go down, clearing the path for the rest of his team.

"Everybody all right?" he asked hurriedly, counting heads and assessing their physical well-being through the analyses being fed into his visor. Satisfied that their answers matched the suit assessments, he holstered his blaster. "Let's get back to the ship. We've only got an hour to get Cypher out. You'll be okay?" He directed his last question at the springer.

Locke looked anything but okay. Worried. Shaken. As if all of this was new to him. But his words were in direct opposition to his appearance. "No problem, Livewire." He looked around, as if identifying the region they were in and making his own escape plans. "I've got tracks out of here no one could read. Get going!"

Jon didn't need to be told twice. Time was not on their side. At his signal, his team bolted, but it didn't escape Jon's sensors that Locke barely moved. For a guy with tracks no one could read, he certainly wasn't putting any of them to good use.

Power tapped his sergeant's arm as they ran. "Deploy eye-in-the-sky. I want to know what Locke is up to."

"It wasn't just me that thought he was being weird? I mean, even weirder than usual?" Baker yanked the tennis ball-sized surveillance device out of his pack and hit the activation button. Several commands later, it launched upward, sending a feed directly to his helmet. "Receiving transmission. Standby while tracking target."

"Hawk, contact Angel City resistance. Verify Cypher's capture. I want to know when he was taken, where, and how. All of it." As he handed out the order, Power saw Pilot look at him. Even through her helmet, he knew her brow was furrowed.

"What about the disk, Captain?" She kept pace with him, despite her shorter strides.

He grimaced. Even though they only transmitted encoded data over secure frequencies, if something of this nature was intercepted, Dread would have the ability to set up an ambush. Taking it directly to the base seemed like the only reasonable way for them to ensure it wasn't hacked, so at the onset of the mission, they'd decided that Pilot would immediately take the disk back to the base and load all the stolen information into Mentor for analysis. But with the way the springer had been acting, Jon didn't want to risk anything right now – his team or the data. "Check it when we get to the jumpship. All safeguards in place. I want to believe we've finally gotten the break we need, but the way Locke was acting has me more than a little concerned."

To his right, Masterson nodded his agreement.

"Captain, we've got a huge amount of interference going on. Eye is having a difficult time tracking. Switching to thermal." Scout continued to make changes to the eye's programming as they moved through the debris.

Pilot nodded. "He said he had tracks no one could read. He could be jamming electronics in the area. Not strong enough to interfere with our suits or blasters, but enough to mess with certain frequencies."

"You do what you have to do to survive." Tank spoke softly, though his words came through clearly in their helmets.

He was speaking from experience. His fight with Kasko had proven he would do what he had to not only to survive, but to protect innocent lives. War brought out the worst in some people. And the best in others.

Jon wished he knew on which side of that fence the data springer fell.


	3. Chapter 3

Their work began again as soon as they reached the cloaked jumpship. While the others secured the area, Scout deactivated the holo-field surrounding the ship. He was pulling out his radarpack and nightscopes when Pilot stopped at his side.

"What's your gut telling you?" She took the binocular-like scopes from him and raised them to her eyes, scanning the path they'd just come from.

"Locke might be jamming us electronically, but unless he's completely covered himself, we should be able to get a thermal reading on him if he's still anywhere near." He adjusted a couple of settings on the radarpack, then went back to the eye-in-the-sky controller. "I'm linking the heat sensor on the radar to the eye to amplify the signal. It needs a fraction of a second to get a reading on someone or something. If I can get the eye far enough out of range of any jammer he's using, it can send out any thermal signals being picked up. Not sure it'll work, but it's worth a shot."

"You didn't answer my question." Though she kept her focus on her search, her observation was most certainly directed at him.

"I've never trusted the guy. And especially not where you're concerned."

His blunt response made her pause and turn, her blue eyes piercing into him. "What exactly does THAT mean?"

He knew how much she hated his overprotective nature, but he really didn't care at this point. "Jenn, you're supposed to take that disk back to base. On a skybike. I said at the briefing that I didn't like the idea and that you should at the very least take the XT-7 instead of a bike." He stopped and met her piercing stare. "I don't care if the disk checks out and we need to get the data to Mentor. You're not going alone. I'm going with you."

Her brow furrowed, and she had a hard time keeping the annoyance out of her voice. "It's a hop, skip and a jump back to base using the gate. If the disk checks out, we're going to need you –"

"You asked me what my gut was telling me!" he hissed at her, trying to avoid drawing the others to them.

Her expression softened considerably, and she nodded. "Okay. But it's not like I haven't gone on solo missions before."

"Shall I bring up the close call at the medlab?" His brown eyes turned from angered to troubled. "And what happened the last time you went on one? Blastarr found you and dropped a wall on you."

"I wasn't technically alone. I had Polarksi with me." Jennifer put the nightscopes back to her eyes, trying her best to avoid the look he was giving her. She didn't need to be reminded how that mission had turned out. They had all survived, but it hadn't been pretty. She'd been aching for nearly two weeks following that mess.

He thumped the side of her head with a bent finger to get her attention again. "Doesn't count. No suit on Polarski, no real backup. You could have been killed and there's no way I'm going to let that happen again. Do you understand me?"

She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Yes. I do understand."

"Good. Because I am NOT going to lose you." He drew her against his side, hugging her quickly before resuming his work on the eye.

She surprised him with a light kiss on his cheek and a whispered 'love you too' as she raised the nightscopes again.

Rob grinned at her as he shook his head, his mood lifting. The first time she'd told him she loved him had been unintentional, and she'd been embarrassed by it, even if it had been how she'd felt. It had been a normal thing for her to say when she'd lived at Alpha Base, but once she'd moved out of the safety that had been her home, she'd withdrawn somewhat. Had become less free with her emotions. He'd had to reassure her that there was nothing wrong with her telling him; they had worked so closely together since she'd joined the team that they'd become almost like siblings. She'd been relieved when he'd told her he loved her also.

Now, it came out in moments like this, just a simple reminder of what they meant to each other.

"Why is your gut so against this? I mean, besides you not being able to live without me." She was teasingly bringing him back to it, whether he liked it or not. "Maybe it's time for us to finally get a leg up on Dread."

"We have never been given information like this, Jenn. What did Locke get in return? NOTHING." He answered his own question, not even waiting for her to give an answer. "There are so many red flags about this whole mission, I'm surprised we haven't blasted this place to ashes." Rob's attention was drawn back to the radarpack when it emitted a soft beep. "Thermal tracking engaged. Eye has something and it's on the move."

Jennifer looked over his arm, watching the sensor readings on his handheld. "Just a heat signal. The eye can't transmit anything more?"

"Not at this point. I'm happy we have even that right now." Baker continued to add commands to the eye. Coordinates popped up on the screen as he opened a comm line to the rest of the team. "Heat signal located. Target heading our way. ETA six minutes."

He turned his attention back to the blonde at his side. "Have you checked that disk yet?"

"I was going to, but Jon told me to hold until we secured the area." She patted the pouch on her weapons belt. She'd been only slightly surprised by the order he'd given her; his concern had been evident in the way he'd talked on their way back to the ship.

"I'm glad it's not just my gut that's twisted over it," he muttered.

"Cloak the ship, Scout." Power's voice came through their comms. "We're on our way to your position."

Chase took the eye controller and radar pack from Baker while he re-set the holocam to disguise the jumpship. Less than a minute later, the rest of the team had gathered with them. Scout continued monitoring the signal, noting the searching pattern the figure seemed to be taking.

"Tracking us," Tank offered.

Masterson nodded. "We didn't exactly hide our path out of there."

Power agreed grimly.

"Do we bug out of here or wait?" Chase looked at her commanding officer. Her eyebrow raised a moment later. "Or maybe do a little hunting of our own?"

All four men turned to her with surprise, but Power pointed a finger at her. "Yes. It's about the only thing that's making sense right now."

With a plan in place, they moved out in the direction of the heat signal. Rob fed the coordinates to all the suits as they went, continuously updating them until Power held his hand up to bring them to a stop. They fanned out and took up intercept positions, weapons ready.

Locke found himself surrounded as soon as he stepped into a small clearing within the building debris. He stood stiffly, hands in his pockets, glasses halfway down his nose. And he regarded them grimly.

"That disk is blank." Locke looked over his shoulder as he spoke, scanning the horizon in all directions.

"Explain." Jon stared at him in confusion at the point-blank statement.

"Dread wants you to go back to your base. He's got the biobeasts ready to tag along. Has the means to jump through your spacegates." He removed his glasses long enough to drag the back of his hand across both eyes, blinking fiercely before putting them back on.

Hawk and Tank watched him warily. His actions were strange, even for him. And the news he'd just delivered was extremely unsettling, though they did their best to hide it.

Jon saw the flash of concern from his two senior officers. That ANYONE, let alone the springer, even made mention of the gates was alarming. The jumpgates' existence couldn't be kept hidden forever, but they'd at least gone with the assumption that the coding sequence would have prevented anyone else from accessing them, even if they were discovered. If what Locke was suggesting was true, they were screwed. "Locke, what the hell is going on?" He took a step forward but stopped when Jennifer put a hand on his arm.

"This could be a setup." Her blue eyes held his, her voice low.

The data springer made a move toward Power but stopped when blasters were leveled at his heart. "That disk is the setup," he hissed, again looking in all directions. "If you return to your base, the Dreadheads are set to follow and blow it to hell."

Power looked at him, his face now unreadable.

"He's tracking your ship. Has a frequency modulator that will get him in." Locke lit a cigarette, his hands shaking as he took a long drag off it.

Jennifer frowned. There was something else he wasn't telling them, and she spoke directly to him. "Are they tracking you also?"

Behind Locke, Rob shook his head, answering her question with a full sweep of the thermal scanner.

"They don't need to." He shook his head, confirming what Baker had just conveyed. "The Dreadheads have my kids."

The haunted look on Locke's face hit Jon as if he'd been physically punched in the gut. They had worked with the data springer for well over a year and he'd never so much as hinted at having kids. But there was no denying the torture the man was going through as he stood before them.

All the emotions that knotted Jon's gut were on display in Baker's face and mirrored on Tank and Hawk. Beside him, Jennifer had gone quiet and took a step closer to him. He wanted to reach out, wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her until his nerves calmed and he could think clearly again.

Instead, he took a deep breath and focused on Locke. "Tell us what you know."

That was all the man needed to hear. "Data springers form leagues. No one in or out without full league green light. Bad chips are booted to league holds with sanctions so there's no system corruption. One bad chip broke the hold and leaked privy data to the Dreadheads to boomerang the sanctions. Two springers were flatlined when their hidey holes were blown." He paused for only a moment. "When the cascade kept on, little chips were moved to encrypted hidey holes. Mine were snatched en route. Their source code…my right hand…they flatlined her." At this, he pulled off his glasses again and had to swipe his eyes several times to be able to see clearly.

The team stared at him, barely understanding what he was insinuating. Jon chanced a look at Baker, then shook his head slightly, silently asking his sergeant for help.

"Rogue springer gave private intel on the springers in his group to some overunits in retaliation for putting him in lockup. They located their homes and killed two. Many of them have kids, so they were moving them to safe houses. Locke's were taken before they could get there." He hesitated, seeing the grief on Locke's face as he translated for his team, but continued, choosing his words carefully. "Their mother didn't make it."

Jon's nerves had steeled as the story progressed. He'd never anticipated this from Locke. Never would have thought the man had a family hidden somewhere in the recesses of this god-forsaken world. But he did, and they had been ripped from him. Just like nearly every other person he'd encountered. "How long ago did this happen?"

With a look at his watch, Locke bit off the words. "Three days, seven hours, forty-six minutes." Now that he'd divulged the information, the wound on his soul became a gaping hole. "The Dreadheads hunted me down. Told me what to do if I wanted them back."

"So, you agreed to it." Matt's statement wasn't an accusation. "Any father would." His face carried the grief of a man who would have done anything to get his own children back, no matter the cost.

"I agreed to their plan because you're my only chance at getting them back." His language had changed, realizing he had to speak in terms they understood if he was going to get their help, and he turned begging eyes on them. "Captain, that disk is blank. I swear to you. Please help me get my kids back. They're all I have left."

"Scout, Tank, check the disk. Report back after analysis. All safeguards in place." Power gave the orders firmly, though his mouth was dry, and his heart was racing. Dread had set them up for an ambush.

He had to separate the team, but he felt confident that Tank's firepower would protect Scout while he and Hawk would keep Pilot safe. Out of all the suits, theirs had the least weaponry to accommodate their need to remain nimble for their jobs; he hadn't had reason to doubt the programming until now. He'd do a thorough overhaul of their suits once they returned to the base. Peace of mind was well worth some down time.

Once the two were on their way back to the ship, he folded his arms over his chest. "Why should we trust you?"

"Cap, I have never lied to you. I could have gone along with their plan, but I know they won't give them back to me even if they get you. You're my best chance at seeing them again." His breathing had steadied, and he looked relieved to finally unload the burden he'd been carrying. His plea remained the same though. "Please. I've already lost their mother. I can't lose them too."

"What about Cypher?" Jennifer asked.

Jon heard the wariness in her voice and watched as she studied him. She'd observed several interrogations during her time in the Dread Youth and he knew she was now looking for any signs of deception. The fact that they'd already been duped by him meant she was going to tear apart every word he said, every intonation, every muscle movement.

God, there were so many times he wondered how they'd gotten by without her. And he never wanted to go back to those days.

"They don't have him. It was meant to get you moving so they could follow you."

The location was far enough away that they would have had to use a gate to get to the rendezvous in time. It had been a perfect plan.

Except that Dread hadn't anticipated the trust the data springer had in the team he now faced.

Without waiting for any more prompting, Locke continued. "Miranda is twelve. Peter is ten. They both have tracking implants –"

Hawk, Pilot and Power couldn't stop their mouths from dropping open.

"I needed to know I could keep my eyes on them even when I wasn't with them." He took another drag from the cigarette and looked around nervously. Smoke came out of his mouth when he spoke, but it was almost to himself. "They were supposed to be safe."

Jon couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "No one is safe, Locke." He knew that all too well and Dread was upping the ante every time they turned around.

The springer ignored the comment. "My amplifiers were destroyed when they raided. My league's base was blown apart. I have nowhere to go to track them and the only equipment I have is in this pack."

Hawk smirked. "You were still able to mess with us for a few."

"It's not enough," he snapped, then turned pleading eyes on Power. "PLEASE help me."

"Turn off whatever dampener you're using to block our trackers." Jennifer looked at him pointedly and when he growled his refusal, she leveled her blaster at him.

"There's Dreadheads crawling all around here. Why not just send them an invitation to this party?" Locke snapped.

Hawk's eyes narrowed, and his own blaster came down. "So, you're not denying using a jammer."

With that, Locke rolled his eyes. "I'm desperate, not stupid. I'll use whatever will help me get my kids back."

"Including us?" Jennifer snapped back.

Power shot her a warning look and was not shocked when she returned it. Behind Locke, Masterson couldn't contain a smirk. She had good reason to question him, given the pack of lies they'd just been fed.

Power clenched his teeth together. If Locke was telling the truth, there was no way he would turn him down. But if he was lying? If he was leading them down an even worse path? He'd wouldn't think twice about giving Locke the same fate as the overunit that took on his persona and took the lives of so many people.

"Captain?"

Their comms chirped, and Jon responded immediately to his sergeant, grateful for the shift in attention. "Go ahead, Scout." His eyes flicked between the three, who were still in a tenuous standoff.

"The disk is completely blank. No data, no hidden signals being sent, no homing beacons, no viruses, nothing." They could hear Scout typing on his console even as he spoke. "And Cypher himself just tagged in. He has NOT been captured and he is happy to give Dread a headache for his efforts, if we'd like."

"Copy that. Tell Cypher to hold. We might need a diversion. Secure the ship and continue monitoring all frequencies and a five-kilometer radius of the ship." Jon looked past Locke to where Masterson stood behind him. He knew Matt's decision without even asking the question. There was no denying the vengeance in his eyes. He'd lost his own children and he'd be damned if anyone else would lose theirs if he still had a breath in him.

Beside him, Jennifer gave a simple nod of acknowledgement; she was deferring to his judgement. He knew from experience that if her gut was telling her something was wrong, she would speak up. At the moment, she was just annoyed that Locke had the upper hand with the jamming device. In a short while, she'd confiscate it from him, figure out the technology, and add it to her own arsenal.

He would deal with that later. There was no more time to waste. "Locke, you're with us." He motioned for his team to stand down and prayed he was making the right decision.

With Pilot leading, they quickly picked their way through the debris strewn region again. Locke said nothing as they ran and Jon was more than a little surprised the man kept pace with them, given his smoking habit. There were worse things in the world that could kill him, he concluded. No point in passing judgement on him.

Not yet, anyway.

Tank was patrolling the ground outside the jumpship when they broke into the small clearing and lifted his face shield as they drew closer. Scout, no longer in armor, appeared at the jumpship's hatch and took the stairs down two at a time.

Once again surrounded by Power's entire team, Locke removed his glasses and again swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "Thank you."

"We haven't done anything yet and we don't know if we can." Jon's expression was grim.

Locke shrugged. "You believe me. That's more than I had hoped."

"Tell us everything about the trackers and the last known location of your children." Power nodded to both Baker and Chase, silently ordering them to note anything that could be used in the search.

After the two peppered him with dozens of questions and finally fell silent, Jon nodded to Locke. "We have rations, water and a bedroll. You are welcome to all of it while we go over the intel."

They could all see the gratitude in his eyes even before he said it out loud.

With another nod, Power ordered Tank to set up the springer's camp near the front of the ship while he and Scout quickly moved inside to get the supplies.

As the rest of the team moved out of earshot, Pilot stared after Locke. Hawk paused beside her, following her gaze. Without taking her eyes off him, she said softly, " _He_ mated with someone?"

Hawk understood the disbelief. They'd found themselves relying on informants more frequently as the years had passed and Locke was certainly one of the more eccentric ones. Pilot had commented more than once about his mannerisms and speech, struggling to understand the offbeat nature of the data springer. "Mated? Kid, we call that 'having a family'. Don't be so shocked that people fall in love and have kids. Even the people you don't understand." Matt smiled gently at her.

Pilot shrugged. "You guys are my family. I didn't have to mate to get you."

Had she not been so serious, he might have let a slightly crass comment slip. Instead, he simply shook his head. "No. But you might decide someday you'd like to have some children."

She was already shaking her head. "Highly unlikely, Matt. I wouldn't even know where to start." A sad smile crossed her face and she set out to the jumpship.

"Jennifer," Masterson called after her. She stopped, waited for him to catch up with her. "Just keep an open mind about it. You never know."

She shook her head again, this time more emphatically. "Matt, I'm former Dread Youth. I was raised by machines to bring down mankind. Who's going to want someone with that background?" Her voice had dropped to almost a whisper by the time she finished speaking.

"We know your background and we want you," he teased, nudging her shoulder with his.

This time, she looked at him, an eyebrow raised, arms crossed over her chest. "You also try to get rid of a fanatic hell bent on destroying the world with me. We don't have the most normal of relationships."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You are correct."

"You two planning on joining us anytime soon?" They both turned to find Power leaning against the jumpship's doorframe. Scout and Tank were at the far end of the ship, setting up a small camp for Locke.

"Deep thoughts?" Jon asked as they drew closer.

Hawk couldn't help himself. "Just trying to find someone for Jennifer to mate with."

"Matt!" She punched his arm and stomped up the steps, her cheeks reddening. "I'm never mating," she muttered in Jon's direction as she tried to squeeze past him into the ship.

"Never?" he asked, casually blocking her entry.

The blush spread across her whole face and she averted her eyes. "Can we not discuss this anymore?"

"Hey…" Jon waited for her to look at him again and when she didn't, he continued anyway. "Don't say 'never'. Someday, you might find someone you not only love, but want to have a family of your own with. Be willing to take that chance. It's one of the biggest reasons I'm still fighting this war."

There was surprise in her eyes when she finally looked at him. "You want to mate?"

The continued use of 'mate' brought a smile he couldn't hold in and he nodded. Maybe talking to her like this would make their conversation later a little easier to have. "Yes, I want a family, Jennifer. It probably sounds ridiculous to you, but when this war is finally done, I want a bunch of kids running amok, getting in trouble, arguing with each other and making me crazy. I want to hold their mother in my arms every night. I want her face to be the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing I see when I wake up. I want to grow old with her and watch our grandchildren make our own kids as crazy as they made us."

She regarded him for a moment, then asked softly, "How will you know when you've found the right person?" She looked like she wanted to believe him but was still struggling with self-doubt.

He shrugged, wanting so desperately to tell her how he really felt. But he couldn't. Not with Matt there. So instead, he chose his words carefully. "I'm going to trust my gut. That's all I'm asking you to do. None of us know for certain, right Matt?"

Hawk nodded his agreement and for a moment, Jon hesitated. He wanted to say more, but from the look on Jennifer's face, he knew it wasn't the right time. Later. When this mission was done.

"Can I get to work now?" As soon as he moved, she went into the ship without looking back.

Matt climbed the stairs and stood beside Jon. The turmoil showed on the captain's face as he continued to stare after her. "She'll trust her gut. She's good at that." He patted the younger man's shoulder, then went inside to give whatever help he could.

For a long moment, Jon stood on the ramp, his eyes scanning the horizon as he fought the acid rising in his esophagus. Had Locke not said anything to them, had he not trusted his own gut and scrapped their original plan, Jennifer would have gone to the base alone and been captured or digitized. Or killed.

He couldn't focus on that. She was safe inside the jumpship, working with Scout to ensure the safety of the entire team and the security of their base.

She was still alive.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: DisneyDiva has gratiously allowed me bring to some of her characters and locations into this. Those include Alpha Base, Staff Sergeant Adam Rowan, Sergeant Elle Rowan, Dr. Samantha Cooke and Dr. Abraham Carter. They will be making their appearances beginning with this chapter. Thank you, DD, for giving me the courage to kill off a few characters over the last year or so and stretch my evil gene. I have immensely enjoyed the round robin activity and can't wait to see just how many other ways we can bring Dread down.

* * *

With the jumpship once again hidden by the holocam and Locke's camp included within the range, the main cabin became a temporary workstation for Scout and Pilot. Tools and electronics were scattered on the floor as they worked. Their priority was to secure the transit gates, so they moved between Scout's console and sparingly interfacing with Mentor, while modifying the existing program and circuitry for gate access.

Only thirty minutes later, Power looked over Pilot's shoulder as she scrolled through the programming. "Mentor, final review." She ordered the supercomputer to run yet another analysis of the changes they'd made.

"Analysis confirms activation of secondary and tertiary modes for transit gate access."

When Mentor's voice came through the comm, Jon squeezed Jennifer's shoulders. She smiled softly without looking at him, much like she had before the Icarus mission, when he'd kissed her cheek 'for luck'. His heart skipped a beat at her reaction, just like it had then. "Go ahead and explain the changes." Jon almost reluctantly sat down in the command chair and rested his elbows on his knees.

Just inside the hatch, Hawk leaned against the wall of the ship while Tank moved to allow himself to hear what she was saying while still keeping watch over Locke. The springer paced his small camp as if he was electrically charged, though they all knew he was dead on his feet with exhaustion.

Pilot stood and stretched for a moment before speaking. "We've been using the coding sequence to activate the gates, assuming the transmission was secure enough to allow only our ship through. Since we've never had anything else in the region, it's never been an issue. What we didn't anticipate was the lag between our entering the gate and it closing behind us. It's enough to allow another vessel to enter and be pulled through, using the gate's residual draw on us."

Jon blew out a deep breath. He knew the gates would eventually be discovered, but when they'd told him about the lag, he'd been floored that his father hadn't conceived the possibility of it happening. And that it had never occurred to himself over the years that they'd used it.

Rob sat down in his chair and continued. "We made some modifications to the current system, enhancing the security measures for gate access. Specifically, we've added an authentication mode that requires us to send out a signal to the gate when we punch in the coding sequence. The signal changes every time we use it and is specific just to the jumpship. Same modifications will apply to the skybikes, but we haven't installed them yet." He pointed back to Jennifer.

She picked up where he left off. "Once we're through the gate, the jumpship will emit another signal, sealing access to the portal until it closes completely. If there's any unauthorized entry attempt, we've set the gate to trigger a localized EMP to incapacitate the vessel."

"Will that harm the jumpship?" Matt asked warily, suddenly straightening, his eyes piercing into both of them.

Rob was already shaking his head. "The gate's modulation system will keep it from harming the gate itself or coming through with the jumpship. The pulse will stay on the side of the gate it was triggered on."

Jon nodded his approval. This would hold off any potential threat, at least until they could sit down and give it a more thorough analysis. "Nice job, you two."

"We've got a couple more ideas, but it's going to require a few more parts and more in-depth programming than we have time for right now. Soon as we get back to base, we'll make it our top priority." Rob looked over at Jennifer, who gave a thumbs-up in agreement.

Jon sat back in his chair and pulled his console in front of him. "Mindsinger responded to the message we sent out. She had her seekers run sweeps for the signals emitted from the kids' trackers and has them narrowed down to a quarter kilometer radius of these coordinates." He punched in several commands on his keyboard and looked quickly between Masterson and Chase. "Hawk was able to use recent satellite scans pulled from Alex Haley's raid on that data center to find several potential landing spots. You two decide where would be best to set down."

Both Pilot and Hawk nodded.

"We should get to Locke's rendezvous point with the overunits right around the time Cypher was expected to be transferred. We'll be cutting it close though." Jon held up his hand as a message pinged through on his console. Quickly reading it, he sent an acknowledgement before returning his attention to his team. "Angel City resistance is en route and will wait until we send word. Scout, your suit is reading at eighty-four percent. I want it fully charged. The holo program uses more power than I'm comfortable with and we don't need it fading before we can get those kids out."

The young man moved quickly from his station to the hold to use the portable energizer.

"The rest of us are at ninety-four-plus percent. That should get us all through." Power looked at his lieutenant, who stood guard on the stairs of the hatch, ensuring the data springer remained under the holocam's protective range. "Tank, secure Locke in the hold as soon as Scout is charged."

With a nod from Ellis, Jon mentally ran through the mission details. While the youngest two had been focused on securing the jumpgates, the remaining three had worked with Locke and Mindsinger to get a fix on the captured children's transmitters. Locke had uttered a string of profanity when he'd seen the region and finally handed over the last bit of information he'd kept hidden from the team: the coordinates where his children were to be returned to him. They were within the search radius of the transmitters.

Angel City resistance had taken it upon themselves to do recon at the coordinates Locke had originally given them for Cypher's handoff and found two squads of mechs ready to ambush anyone that arrived. With that intel, the colonel had called in two more groups from the surrounding area to bolster his ranks and sent a message to Power that they were going to smash the mechs with whatever they had to keep Dread's focus on that location.

Jon hoped Cypher's diversion would buy them enough time to rescue the kids. They were going in nearly blind, unless Mindsinger could give them more information. Haley's team was pulling whatever they could from the scrounged satellite images, but without more recent updates, they had no idea what the troop dispersion was in that region.

They were going to have to wing it and use their long-range sensors to pick up whatever was in the area as they flew in. Wasn't the first time they'd done that and he doubted it would be the last. He simply hated running like this when children's lives were on the line.

When Locke was secured in his seat in the hold, Power addressed his team.

"Tank, we're running cloaked. I want you monitoring the jumpship's power to make sure it doesn't put a strain on our systems." Jon turned from Tank to Scout. "Set sensors to long-range and sweep all frequencies we know Dread uses, including the ones he's abandoned. Now is the time to use those decryption codes Freedom Two sent through a few days ago."

As Scout got to work, Power nodded to his pilot and copilot. "Let's move out." In less than a minute, the jumpship was underway.

Jon blew out a slow, deep breath. His attention turned, as it almost always did these days, to the blond with the ponytail at the front of the ship. She was quietly talking with Matt and when he caught her rolling her eyes at him and shaking her head, Jon wondered if they were back to the mating conversation from earlier.

Deep inside, Jon had known Jennifer was against 'having a family' of her own.

When she'd deserted the Dread Youth and eventually surrendered to his team, they'd taken her to a well-hidden base tucked in the southwestern mountains of the US. The founders of the base, Adam and Elle Rowan, had found success not only with the Cowboys, their air unit of the UTO, but with war-hardened souls who needed more than just a place to rest.

It had taken nearly a year of tough love and unconditional support to break her of the feelings of worthlessness and anger that threatened to consume her as everything she'd once believed in crumbled down.

But that time with the Rowans and the rest of Alpha's residents had shown her what a family was. What love was. Before she'd even been asked to join Power's team, the Rowans had asked her to be part of their family – they officially adopted her as their daughter.

To Jennifer, 'family' had nothing to do with biology or blood relations. 'Family' was the group that took care of each other, through whatever life threw at them.

So, when Jon had told her earlier that she might someday want a family of her own, he knew how she felt without her saying a word. She already had one. But the fact that she'd questioned him about it, about his desire to 'mate' to have a family of his own, made him curious if her views might be shifting.

He'd heard her talking with Rob about it several times; her upbringing was a significant concern for her. Even though she'd worked through so much of Dread's brainwashing with the Rowans after she'd left Volcania, she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of raising offspring of her own. So much so that she couldn't even refer to them as children, instead choosing 'offspring' as a more appropriate reference.

Jon wasn't going to push the subject with her, but he wanted her to know that she could choose whatever she wanted. Whenever she wanted it. And he hoped she would want him at her side.

* * *

Dread watched the vid screens in his throne room, silently assessing each site through the feeds being sent from the surveillance mechs. Power's ship had yet to be found. The coordinates the data springer had given Power remained deserted, save two squadrons of mechs that held their positions in abandoned buildings, awaiting further orders. The location for the springer's offspring to be returned also showed no activity.

Time was passing quickly and his patience was wearing thin.

"Lord Dread."

The gravelly voice of Overmind echoed slightly in the room and he responded immediately, forcing himself to keep the annoyance he felt from entering his words. "Yes, Overmind."

"Power has eluded us."

He wanted to wave off the supercomputer but refrained. "If we are to succeed, we must wait until the right moment to strike. Jonathan Power has shown us time and again that he executes every move with precision. We will be ready for him, and when he does show himself, we will crush him. The resistance will be finished, once and for all."

Power would be flushed from wherever he was hiding and brought to his knees. There was no doubt in Dread's mind.

The machine would not fail.

* * *

Tank and Scout moved out of the ship first, followed by Locke and Power.

Scout handed a headset to the springer and indicated buttons on one of the earpieces. "You can increase or decrease the volume with these. Stay on the frequency I've set. I'll be amplifying the signals, so you should hear everything as clearly as if you were right there. Feed me any information they ask for and I will relay it."

Jon crossed his arms over his chest. "We don't need to remind you that lying will likely get your kids killed."

Locke nodded as Pilot and Hawk emerged from the ship. "You have my word. I will do whatever I have to do to bring them back to me."

After a long pause and a hard stare, Jon nodded in return. "Power up."

The entire team activated their suits, leaving Locke standing in awe. It was the first real sign of hope they'd seen from him.

Power quickly evaluated each of their suits, noting power levels and vital signs. Their heart rates and blood pressures were all elevated, but it was normal following the energy rush of the armor's appearance. Just like always, they fell back to their baseline parameters and he turned to his sergeant. "Let's get this show on the road."

Scout pressed several buttons on his wrist and his suit flickered for several moments before another visage shimmered into existence.

Locke found himself staring into his own face, complete with glasses and identical clothing. He pulled off his own glasses and gave a low whistle. "I want a piece of that tech."

"Entry logged into voice adapter." Scout's voice came through the image generated by the suit's holofield, leaving Locke baffled. A moment later, he heard his own voice come through. "Ready to go, Captain."

Jon acknowledged and opened a channel on his communicator. "Power to Cypher, come in."

"Reading you, Captain. We're in position." The colonel's voice indicated he was ready to kick some metal into the ground.

They'd located the children's transmitters a short distance from the rendezvous point, in what they could only determine to be a small dwelling. Thermal signals in the immediate vicinity indicated a half dozen humans in total. Their long-range sensors had shown only a handful of mechs in the area, but there were at least three vehicles nearby. All were cold, indicating they were either non-functional or had been there for days.

Dread didn't expect much trouble here.

They'd all been surprised by it, but that didn't mean they were going to let their guard down. Until the mission was over, they were taking nothing for granted.

"We're moving in. Commence on my signal." With a final look at his team, Power nodded. "You know what to do. Let's bring those kids home."


	5. Chapter 5

Scout walked slowly to the designated spot, constantly scanning the region as well as the feeds on his visor. His sensors showed the location of his teammates; Hawk and Tank flanked him, concealed in the rubble of what had once been a small settlement. They had chosen the best vantage points for providing cover fire, should it become necessary. Pilot was to his right and slightly behind him, ready to pounce on the kids and haul them away from the scene. Power was further back, corralling Locke in one of the other buildings that remained standing. Without tying him up, there was no way they could trust him to be left alone – and they didn't need the added hassle of untying him if all hell broke loose.

The eye-in-the-sky he had deployed minutes earlier fed them a grid on their visors, giving real-time displays of their targets. Two humans hid within a crumbling structure in front of him and just to his left. Four more were in another, more intact, shack behind the first. And a half dozen mechs were split among the outside of both structures. The rest of the area was abandoned.

"I'm here! Now show me my kids!" Scout's shout shattered the silence.

A tense minute passed before the two figures in the first building emerged. The overunit was a tall male, his uniform impeccably pressed and his crisp hat pulled down over well-groomed brown hair. Two steps behind him was a female Youth leader, immaculate in her own uniform.

Scout wondered how long they'd been there and how they managed to remain so kempt.

They moved silently until they stood in front of him, the Youth two steps behind her superior officer at all times. Clasping his hands behind his back, the overunit sized him up, then grinned smugly.

"You will get your offspring back when we have Power and his team," he gloated.

It took everything Baker had not to reach out and smack the smirk off his face.

* * *

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Locke hissed with rage and Jon had to clamp his hand over the man's mouth to keep him from giving away their position.

To his right, Pilot turned at the voices in her helmet, ready to offer assistance but knowing that if she moved now, they would be seen.

He hastily shook his head at her and signaled that he had it under control. Both had seen Scout startle slightly at the voice that had undoubtedly blasted his ears but heard him recover immediately and continue the negotiations.

* * *

"That wasn't part of the deal. I delivered the message and the disk. I can't control what he does with it," Scout snapped, delivering the information only slightly less emphatically than Locke had. "When they find out I sold them out, I'm as good as dead."

"All the more reason for us to keep your offspring. They will be entered into our Youth program, where they will be taught the way of the machine." The overunit's eyes gleamed with the psychological torture he was inflicting.

Scout's stomach clenched and they weren't even his children.

"The girl would fail out. Too much drama. And the boy? Can't even keep track of his shoes, let alone follow a string of orders."

Locke had regained enough of his composure to feed Scout the comments and he had a hard time not laughing as he repeated it. The man was certainly keeping them on their toes.

"They will learn quickly or die." A cold sneer crossed the man's face. He was enjoyed the taunting.

Scout had had enough. "Give me my children. Now."

It took a moment longer, but the overunit finally snapped his fingers at the Youth leader standing behind him. She immediately turned to the shack and returned with two more Youth leaders, nearly dragging a much smaller boy and girl with them.

* * *

Dread's eyes narrowed on the screen. The data springer had been nothing but a thorn in his side since the beginning. The begging for his offspring had made him want to digitize him without even trying to get anything out of it, but he'd reigned in that impulse. Monitoring his offspring had been even worse and it had only been three days. How did the man live with such snivelry? The incessant whining and crying would have no place in the Youth ranks.

"Lord Dread."

He barely took his eyes off the vid. "Yes, Overmind."

"Aerial monitoring was detected by the surveillance mech six point eight minutes ago. Source unknown. The data springer must be digitized to reveal Power's location. BioDread Soaron has been deployed to the location. ETA is three point four minutes."

Dread's face turned to stone. "Why was I not informed of this surveillance, Overmind?" The supercomputer had been making decisions like this more frequently. Their neural link should have sent the command through, especially if it was to one of the BioDreads.

"The established protocol was followed. Soaron is within striking distance."

It was not an answer to his question, but it WAS the most logical plan. A direct handoff had not been enough to flush Power out of his hole. The BioDreads had been positioned within range of the sites to move in if necessary and Overmind had executed the order utilizing all available data. It was only a matter of time before Power was taken.

"Yes, Overmind." Dread returned his focus to the events unfolding on the screen. "The springer will be unable to resist the will of the machine. And we will soon learn everything he knows."

* * *

As soon as the children showed on the eyepiece attached to his headset, Locke tried to bolt. Jon slammed him into the wall, holding him with an arm across his windpipe. He managed to gasp out their names, confirming what Power had hoped. Those were his children.

With the kids in sight, Jon signaled Cypher to start the attack.

* * *

"DADDY!" The girl cried out, wrenching her arm away with surprising strength from the Youth male holding her.

He grabbed her and harshly pulled her back, holding her with an arm across her throat.

"RAND! NO!" Scout yelled the order, using the nickname Locke had for her. He held up his hands, trying to diffuse both sides and hold off any shots from being fired. "Petey, do NOT move!" The boy stood, frozen in terror, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

The overunit's eyes locked on Scout, his rage barely under control. He pressed his fingers to his earpiece and listened for a moment but didn't acknowledge.

* * *

"Overunit Sobel, prepare for –"

Dread stopped speaking and stood as the first volley slammed into the waiting squadrons from all directions. Mechs dropped, sparks flying as they barely got off their own rounds before being destroyed by the still hidden resistance fighters.

"Blastarr!" Dread all but snarled the name and didn't wait for acknowledgment. "Advance immediately to these coordinates! I want Power alive or digitized! The rest…you may have your way with!"

With his fury fully unleashed, he turned back to his throne and pounded a fist on the console of his chair. "Soaron!"

"Yes, my Lord!" The BioDread's voice boomed through the comm, reverberating around the throne room.

Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted, "Digitize the data springer and his offspring and bring them DIRECTLY to ME." He pounded the information into the keyboard and shouted, "GO!"

"Approaching coordinates, my lord!"

With a final, gleeful, acknowledgement from the beast, he cut the line, fuming. Somehow, Power had gotten through their surveillance. The springer was the only way that could have happened, and he would pay dearly for his transgressions. He would watch his offspring suffer and when they were nothing more than mindless organic shells, every bit of information would be extracted from his own brain. He could then join his offspring in hell.

Dread snarled as the vid screen displaying the melee went black; the surveillance mech was blown into dozens of pieces.

It no longer mattered. Blastarr would be on scene to mop up the mess and bring Power to him.

* * *

Confusion spread across the overunit's face as he continued to listen through his earpiece. Scout wanted to strike him while his guard was down, but the hold the Youth had on the kids prevented him from doing so.

Power's voice buzzed in his ear. "Diversion started."

That would explain the overunit's reaction. He was likely hearing Dread's reaction to the mayhem that was underway.

"Please, let my kids go." With the diversion started, Scout knew that Tank, Hawk, and Pilot could stun the Youth with a single word by Power. And he also knew his commanding officer would have to make a strike call in less than a minute, while the diversion was still happening.

A sneer raised the overunit's upper lip. "Your deception has been discovered, springer."

Scout barely reigned in reaching for his blaster, realizing his cover had somehow been blown. But if that was the case, why hadn't Power signaled the others to shoot?

"Soon enough, you will wish Power had found you instead of us. It does not matter, now. Power and his followers will shortly be destroyed by Blastarr." Sobel couldn't help but gloat, revealing nearly everything he'd just heard through his earpiece.

* * *

Jon hissed into his communicator. "Cypher, incoming BioDread! Bug out! I repeat, bug out!"

Dread had taken the bait and assumed his team had launched the attack, but that now put Angel City resistance in jeopardy.

When Cypher's voice came through his communicator, giving the retreat orders, Jon breathed out.

"Please get my kids!" Locke croaked out, though he was still crushed against the wall.

"Working on that!" Power snapped back.

* * *

A mechanized screech filled the chamber and Dread gave his full attention to the still functional vid. His winged warlord swooped into view, beak open, announcing its arrival.

The springer would soon be divulging all his secrets.

Blaster fire streaked across the screen, striking both mechs, humans and the BioDread before the screen went black.

"Soaron! Report!"

He was answered by silence.

* * *

"NOW!" Power shoved Locke to the ground and launched himself out from behind the wall. Scout's disguise shimmered out as he pulled his blaster and fired a direct shot at the overunit. The man slumped to the ground and before the female behind him could even draw her weapon, Pilot's shot sent her down.

The terrified children stood, frozen in place, even though their captors had been dropped by Tank and Hawk. Mechs exploded all around them, barely getting off a handful of shots.

Blasts from the BioDread shattered the building they had been in only minutes before and fiery debris rained down on them. Scout reached forward, forcing Miranda toward the sound of Pilot's footfalls before yanking Peter into himself. The boy thunked hard against his armor and began to sob, only to be drowned out by an unmistakable whine.

Both Scout and Pilot caught the aim of the digitizer and shoved their shrieking charges in the direction of their father. The last thing the teammates saw was the children tumbling to the ground before the digitizer beam engulfed them.

* * *

Jon saw the digitization beam envelope Scout and Pilot and everything ceased to move at normal speed. It felt like he was slogging through mud as he turned his blaster on the beast, his frantic shouts muted to his own ears.

Blasts from Hawk and Tank joined his, the onslaught momentarily redirecting the BioDread's attention. In a burst of light and sound, the beam ceased, freeing Pilot and Scout from their paralysis.

Power watched in horror as they fell to the ground, their suits failing on impact. They were defenseless and unmoving. They had to be shielded, had to be moved, had to be hidden somewhere safe.

Trusting in the abilities of his major and lieutenant, Power raced past Locke and his kids to his two soldiers. There was no time to determine injuries. Refuge was his primary concern.

Scout was already pushing himself up, weak, disoriented, but moving, nonetheless. As Power started to scoop Pilot, she roused as well, as confused as Scout. Refusing to lose either of them, Power grabbed both under their arms and hauled them behind the wreckage of a nearby transport.

"Gonna hurt tomorrow," Scout groused before doubling over and holding his head.

Pilot quickly turned, pushing Power aside before vomiting near the back of the truck. A split second later, Scout launched himself in the opposite direction, losing his own stomach contents.

The vital signs their unpowered suits registered indicated both were barely within normal parameters, yet Power still helplessly watched as they both held their heads, groaning at the revolt their bodies were staging.

"Captain we need you out here!" Hawk was calm, but insistent. "If the kids are safe, we've got a BioDread to shoot down!"

He hated to leave them, but he had no choice. If they didn't fight now, they'd all lose. Pressing his laser stars into Scout's hand and laying his extra blaster down beside Pilot, he spoke quickly. "Stay here. Do not power up your suits. Yell if anything comes your way and I'll be right back here." He gently squeezed Pilot's shoulder and returned to the melee without a look back.

Hawk had launched himself into the air and sent Soaron backward with a direct shot of his wrist rockets into its chest. Before it had a chance to orient itself, Tank's proton blaster combined with a trio of Power's therm grenades to blow off both wings and a leg.

The mechanized bird howled in distress and began a backward spiral, it's left arm sheered off by another blast from Tank. Its collision with the ground sent up plumes of dirt and shook the area with enough force to nearly knock them off their feet.

"Too far away for us to blow off any more parts!" Hawk announced as he landed, immediately crouching down to check the Youth on the ground. They were all out cold and would remain that way for the next couple of hours.

Enough time for them to gather up their own and get them to safety.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: From Wikipedia, "A virago is a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities."

Though I know CP was about Jon Power and his fight against Dread, I have often wondered about the others around the country (and even the world) who were fighting alongside him. We know about the leaders that were summoned by Freedom One, but it seemed to me that aside from Cypher, the others weren't as well known to the team. I wanted to have a group that Power and his team were familiar with - that they worked with for years and could call on, day or night, for help. And who could also give them crap when they needed it.

Virago, led by Commander Adrianna 'Addy' Herndon, is that group. The personalities of the team members have evolved over the last year or so in our round robin writing, but they are part of the Power team's extended family in this AU.

* * *

Locke emerged from behind a crumbling wall with Peter in his arms and Miranda tucked against his side. The looks of horror on their faces at the scene in front of them were quickly hidden as they buried themselves into their father.

He hurried them toward Power's team, gratitude the only emotion on his face. "Thank you," was all he could muster. All three men nodded, relieved to see both children physically unhurt aside from a few cuts and scrapes. With an initial assessment putting their fears to rest, they moved in the direction of their fallen teammates.

They found Pilot and Scout leaning heavily against the transport, watching the rest of their team draw near. Tank and Power handed them their canteens, and both gratefully took it, swishing their mouths out several times before finally turning back to the group.

"Virago's base is on our way home. You two are getting a once-over by Striker. No arguments. We may all have EMT training, but this is beyond the scope of what I'm comfortable with." Hawk's face was filled with concern for them.

Both raised their hands in a show of surrender.

"The suits come off as soon as we get back to the base. I don't want either of you charging them before I have a chance to look them over. Who knows what that beam did to them and I'm not willing to risk your lives for them." Power's expression was even grimmer than Hawk's.

They both nodded.

"No jokes from either of you. That must've hurt." Tank flashed a grin, though his eyes showed his concern for them.

Pilot nodded again. "Even more than that wall falling on me."

Scout turned his head to regard her. The incident with Polarski was one none of them would forget and it was obvious from her comment that it still weighed heavily on her mind. "You've taken such a beating; do you know that?" And come out even stronger on the other side, he added mentally.

"What doesn't kill me…" she trailed off, pushing some hair out of her eyes. Their comments lifted the tension and the frowns turned to grins.

"Let's get back to the jumpship before any more troops arrive." Power reached out a hand to Pilot, supporting her around her shoulders while Scout waved off a helping hand from Tank. Both were slightly unsteady but made it inside the ship and to the hold without incident. As soon as they were harnessed into their seats, with Locke's family beside them, the jumpship lifted off.

* * *

"Soaron! SOARON!" Dread repeatedly shouted the name, barely hearing the report from Overmind.

"BioDread Soaron is inoperable. Estimated time to full regeneration is twenty-eight hours and thirty-seven minutes."

Dread fumed. "Blastarr! Report!"

A link established between the BioDread and the throne room and a visual came through on the screen. Blown apart mechs and smoking ruins were all that remained.

"Power is no longer here." Blastarr sounded almost sad that it had nothing to destroy.

Dread stared at the screen in silence.

* * *

It had taken over an hour to deposit the springer and his children at their temporary home and by the time Hawk set the ship down outside Virago's base, both corporal and sergeant had fallen asleep in their seats, Jennifer's head on Rob's shoulder, Rob's head resting on top of hers. Jon was in the hold with them when Molly Striker, Virago's medic, joined them, nodding a greeting to him as she knelt in front of the two.

"When did they fall asleep?" She opened her pack and pulled out a few supplies, her brown eyes returning to watch their respirations. The initial symptoms and vital signs they'd sent through weren't alarming, but she'd also never encountered someone that had been nearly digitized before.

"About fifteen minutes ago. Their biggest complaint was the headache." Jon sat down on the seat beside Jennifer, ready to assist with whatever Striker needed.

Jennifer stirred at the voices, her movement waking Rob. "Are we home?" She looked around the hold sleepily, finally focusing on Molly. "Not home."

Rob rested his head back against the seat, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "I drooled on your hair. Sorry about that." He reached over and attempted to take care of the situation.

"I drooled on your shoulder." She patted his leg, her eyes closing again as her head went back to where it had been on him.

Molly spoke softly but firmly. "Jennifer, can you keep your eyes open?"

"Yes, Ma'am." She nodded, doing as she was told, but still resting against Rob's shoulder.

Molly rolled her eyes at the formality, causing Jennifer to chuckle. As she ran through a list of questions to assess their current physical symptoms, Striker took a small blood sample from each of them and began the analysis. Less than a minute later, a soft beep indicated the results were ready and she did a double take when she saw them. Grabbing a bottle from her bag, she shook two pieces out and dropped one in each of their mouths. "Your blood sugar is a little too low for my liking, so we're going to boost it up a bit before we move you."

Not two seconds later, Jennifer's eyes widened. "What IS this?" She lifted her head and looked curiously at Molly, who grinned at her.

"Rock candy. My mama makes it every now and then to spoil us. I keep it around for situations like this too, where we need a quick boost. When you're done with this one, you'll get another."

Hawk and Tank both appeared at the top of the hold with Adrianna Herndon, commander of Virago. Jon greeted her with a grateful nod and she returned it, keeping quiet as her medic continued to assess the situation. Though it took several minutes for Striker to consider them ready to move, no one was willing to rush her.

"All right, let's get the two of you to the medbay. Get up slowly and let me know if you're at all light headed or dizzy." She signaled to Power to help Scout up while she assisted Pilot, waiting until they both said they could move independently.

The teams moved through the small hangar and into the base itself. Herndon slowed as they passed the control room, directing Power inside with a nod of her head. Hawk acknowledged the movement, assuring Jon silently that he and Tank had the younger two.

Addy folded her arms over her chest as Striker led Jennifer and Rob to Virago's medbay. When they were all a reasonable distance away, she raised her eyebrow at him. "I know you all have formal EMT training, but you really need a medic, Jon."

He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I have someone in mind." He'd talked with Matt about asking Elzer Polarski's medic, Abraham Carter, to join the team. Matt had whole-heartedly agreed, knowing the rapport their unit had with him. When they'd put it to a vote, it had been enthusiastically approved. And yet, Jon still hadn't 'gotten around to it.'

Addy frowned, her brown eyes narrowing on him. "Don't get any thoughts of trying to woo Striker away from us."

Jon held up his hands, almost laughing. "Not going there, trust me." He'd worked with her long enough to know he didn't need Addy angry with him for THAT. He could handle Polarski's wrath over Herndon's any day of the week.

"Good." She nodded approvingly. "I will never forgive you for taking Jennifer from us. And might I remind you that if you get her injured again, we're going to forcibly remove her from your team." She regarded him with a mock glare, both knowing full well it was an idle threat.

Jon shook his head. "Suits are non-returnable. She's stuck with it, which means that you are out of luck. Nice try, though. And may I remind YOU that I did not take her from you, she chose to join us." He smiled at her, backing up to avoid being swatted.

Selena Cho, Virago's weapons officer, walked by and added her own two cents. "Don't worry, Commander. There will come a day when we can woo her to our side. Even if it's just for a mission, we'll get her with us." With a smile at Jon, she continued. "And then, Captain, you should be worried she'll have too much fun with us and want to stay."

Now that Cho had chimed in, Meredith Sullivan turned slightly in her chair at the comm station. "She can keep her suit. We'll let her go back to your base to charge it whenever it needs it."

Cho grinned at her. "Ooooo…Merry, let's just make a charging station here!"

Merry's brown eyes danced as she laughed at the face Jon was making at them. "How about we start those plans AFTER they go home? It looks like the good Captain is going to need Molly's assistance himself soon."

Addy was enjoying the banter but realized that after the long day Power's team had had, it was enough. "Ladies, we still need to prep for tomorrow's mission. Let's keep things moving. Alpha Base is expecting us at sunrise."

Jon looked at his communicator and saw what time it was. "You could have told us you were unavailable. We'd have gone to the Passages to get them checked out."

"Nonsense. We've got your back." She shook her head, urging him to follow her down the hall. "The UTO is retrieving several abandoned ships in a shady part of Sector 8 and want some back up on the ground. Since there's a depot we've been curious about out there, we offered to help them out, then do some recon at the depot. Nothing more than twelve hours."

He nodded as they walked, knowing what a valuable commodity ships in any state of disrepair were. And knowing Jennifer, she'd want the vehicles in the area they'd just left scrounged for any usable parts. It wouldn't take much to convince the Rowans to send out a team, if she felt the vehicles were worth it.

The Rowans, founders of Alpha Base and the UTO unit stationed there, were well known within the resistance for their ability to find the positive in almost any situation. Whether it was broken aircraft or broken people, they seemed to take things in, clean off the dirt and make it whole again. In situations like this, the aircraft would be repaired and distributed throughout the resistance, adding to the arsenal in the fight against Dread.

"I'll give the Rowans a call as soon as we get those two settled at home. I know how much they're going to worry if they hear anything about this." It was his top priority. Along with getting in touch with Nikki Trosko. "And don't hesitate to yell if things get out of control on the recon. We can be there quickly," Jon added.

Addy smirked. "I appreciate it." Even though they'd joined forces on missions over the years, they'd never needed to call on them, but Jon never failed to add that last line in there. "What are you going to do if we ever actually need you?"

He returned the smirk. "You know I say that just to push your buttons. I'm pretty sure you will never need us to save your asses."

She nodded. "I pray we never do, Jon."

They stopped at the entrance to the medbay and looked in. Both Pilot and Scout were sitting up on a shared bunk, their backs against the wall. Molly had just handed them mugs and they each sipped as she went back to the cabinet for more supplies.

Though Jon's gaze was on the medbunk, Addy knew his focus was on Jennifer. "Have you talked to her yet?" The last time they had seen each other, she had asked him the same question. The attraction between the two was becoming more visible, though she knew they were trying to hide it. Even from themselves.

"Started to," he admitted. "Got interrupted by the mission."

She clicked her tongue lightly in disapproval. "Jon, life is too precious. You know that."

He nodded and without another word, walked across the room to his team.

Striker looked up at his footsteps and acknowledged him. "I'm glad you brought them in. Blood sugar is still low. They're drinking tea with some honey in it to boost it up more, but they're staying until I can get a decent reading on them. Gretchen just went to get some peanut butter sandwiches. They said it's been at least ten hours since they've eaten, but with the digitization attempt and the vomiting, that's exacerbated an already unfortunate situation. They're both on the anemic side as well. I have a message out to Sam Cooke at Alpha to see what she recommends. I don't have iron pills and we're out of red meat. Correction. We're just plain out of meat." She took Jon's hand without asking, cleaned his skin quickly and lanced his finger, dropping the blood splotch that appeared into her handheld device.

"Ow!" he protested, yanking it away from her with a scowl. "Maybe ask next time?"

"Maybe not." She shrugged and as the numbers came up, went for another mug of tea and dumped in some honey. Handing it to him, the brunette sternly said, "Drink."

Seeing the look on her face, Jon knew better than to argue with her. Instead, he pulled up a chair and sat down, taking a sip of the tea to appease her. He had nothing but admiration for the medic. He knew that under her serious exterior was a gentle and even funny personality, but it wasn't often that side surfaced. Her concern for his entire team ran as deep as for her own and he would always be grateful for that. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Molly frowned at him. "Captain, may I suggest you keep some rations in your ship for occasions such as this?

"We handed ours out to the kids after we got them back to the ship," Jon said in soft protest.

Molly turned a not too harsh glare on him. "There were two kiddos and their dad. Even if you gave them two each, that still means you weren't carrying enough for your team to have appropriate provisions."

Jon didn't want to bring any more of her anger out, so he nodded. "Adding it to the list of things I need to do, Dr. Striker." He saw Addy roll her eyes and just shook his head at her.

Gretchen Stamps, Virago's security officer and demolitions expert, entered the medbay with several plates. Her German shepherd, Kong, walked obediently by her side, his tail swishing back and forth when he saw the new arrivals in the room.

Jon leaned forward and reached out to Kong, allowing him to sniff and accept him before scratching behind his ears. "Hey, Buddy, how are you doing? Heard you got banged up a bit in a scuffle with some mechs."

Kong licked his hand, as if acknowledging that he was fine. Gretchen nodded her agreement. "He's back to himself. Some shrapnel cut his hind quarter, but Molly was able to stitch him up without incident."

Molly took the plates from Gretchen and handed them out to Power and his team. "Hawk and Tank are in the kitchen with Kell, getting their own sandwiches. I checked them and they're nowhere near as low as you three. Did you even eat this morning before you left your base?" she asked Power.

Jon averted his eyes guiltily and shoved the sandwich in his mouth to avoid speaking. Molly looked at Pilot, who shook her head after pointing at Jon, then smiled at him when he caught her and swatted her boot.

"Captain, quit being a dumbass. You're no good to your team if you're not functioning." Striker's frustration was running higher than usual. This wasn't the first time she'd admonished him to take care of himself, so he could, in turn, take care of his team.

Addy smirked and nudged Jon's foot with hers. "She tells me the same thing. It's even better when she gets David on the comm and tells him to talk some sense into me."

Jon nodded. David Farber had stayed behind at the Passages to raise their twins when Addy had formed Virago with Cho and Sullivan nearly a decade earlier. He knew Addy's husband did not enjoy finding out what some of their missions entailed, especially when it was their medic that made the call to him.

"I wouldn't have to do these things if you two would actually LISTEN to me." The look Striker gave both reinforced her commitment to them as their doctor. Her voice softened when she spoke again. "You're not invincible. And we need you."

"I'll follow through on all of it, Molly." He knew she had their best interests at heart and the last thing he wanted to do was anger her. She didn't need that and neither did they. "You have my word."

"Thank you." She got up and went back to the cabinets near the sink, returning to Chase and Baker with a bottle of pills. "Pain reliever. You're each going to take two of these now, then two again in twelve hours. You should start to feel them working in about twenty minutes."

Jon saw them swallow down the pills with their tea, then finish their sandwiches. As he took another bite of his own, Kong stared up at him, his brown eyes patiently watching for any scrap of food to fall. "Sorry, my friend, if I give you anything, I'm afraid Molly will sedate me."

"Oh, don't you worry about him." Gretchen scratched the dog's neck. "Matt and Michael both gave him some. He knows he's going to get spoiled when you guys show up."

Jon laughed, sneaking Kong a bite anyway. "He's the only guy here. We have to take care of him."

Molly rolled her eyes at him, a grin finally breaking through. "And you wonder why we're always trying to get Jennifer to go on a mission with us." She then patted Jennifer's leg. "You know you can hang out with us whenever you need a break from them."

Jennifer nodded, laughing at the pouty faces both Power and Baker turned on her.

"Why would you need a break from us?" Rob rested his head on her shoulder, looking up at her with his best sad puppy eyes. "Please tell me you don't want to leave us."

Gretchen laughed. "Kong is REALLY good at begging and I don't think even he has pulled off a look like that."

Jennifer rested her cheek against Rob's forehead and patted his leg. "Not leaving you guys. Although, if I fall asleep and start drooling again, you might WANT me to leave."

Striker motioned to the cabinet and raised an eyebrow at Herndon. "I could knock her out, so she'll drool."

"No!" came the emphatic response from both men, which brought laughter from all the women. The way Power stared at Chase at the mention of her remaining at Virago's base didn't escape Herndon or Striker and they exchanged a knowing look. This mission was making the young captain re-evaluate several things, including his feelings for the pilot on his team.

With great restraint, Addy changed the subject to keep herself – or Molly - from saying something that might embarrass him. "Jon, you are all welcome to stay here for the night. There are a couple of cots here in the medbay and we'll shift bunks around for the remaining three. We will be out early, and you can sleep in as long as you'd like."

Power shook his head. "Thank you, but we'll be heading home as soon as Doc gives the word. That'll give you some peace to finish what you need and get some sleep. And I think we'd all like to sleep in our own beds tonight."


	7. Chapter 7

They continued talking for several more minutes before the remaining members of both teams slowly wandered into the medbay. Striker ran through another round of bloodwork on all of Power's team, finally satisfied with how the numbers looked.

"All vitals are back in normal range. If the headaches persist more than the next twenty-four hours or if they get worse, report immediately to the nearest hospital for eval. Anything else, like dizziness, vomiting, vision changes, or lethargy all need to be checked as well. We're not taking any chances with this." Molly handed a small container to Matt. Though the entire team was trained in emergency medical techniques, Matt had the most significant of that training. "In here are four more pain reliever pills. They each get two in about twelve hours. If they don't need them, that's even better."

She looked at her watch. "I am certain a good night's sleep will be beneficial, but I'd like you to wake them up every few hours and send me vitals, at least through the night." Turning her attention to Jon, she added, "When I hear from Sam, I'll be in touch with you. She might even contact you directly. Depends on how crazy things are for her right now."

Jon nodded, knowing full well that they would likely be hearing from Alpha before they even arrived home. "We'll get vitals before they hit the sack, then every few hours after that." He watched the two stand, fighting the urge to reach out a supporting hand to them. Molly was already evaluating them and when she gave a satisfactory nod, he released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

Kong moved from Gretchen's side to sit in front of Jennifer and cocked his head at her.

"Of course, sweet boy. Shake?" She smiled at him and carefully knelt, extending her palm to him. He brought his paw up and she shook it, then wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his thick fur. After a moment, she shifted back and softly said, "Take care of our family, okay? And give Dad and Mama a hug for me when you see them."

Kong licked her cheek. He'd been from the first litter of pups born to Lucy and Ricky while Jennifer had been at Alpha. She'd watched him grow and be trained and had been ecstatic when Gretchen had chosen him for the team.

"I swear this boy has a crush on you." Gretchen smiled as Jennifer stroked his coat before standing. He nudged her hand with his muzzle and she obliged with scratches behind his ears. "The guys sneak him treats and you give him all kinds of love. He's going to leave ME for all of you!"

"Nah. He knows who his mama is." Rob reached down and added his own scratches. Kong responded by sitting down on his boots, then looked up at him, his tongue hanging out, almost grinning at him. "Buddy boy, I would love to stay here all night, but you have to get to bed so you're ready for your next mission."

Gretchen motioned Kong back to her side and he obeyed, stopping only to get more scratches from Jon.

As he straightened, Jon regarded the group with sincerity. "Thank you. For everything."

Addy smiled. "Anytime, Jon. Now get your people home. Your day has been long enough." She knew from their eyes that they were all thoroughly shaken by the mission, despite the good front they were putting up.

"Hawk, you're flying. Jennifer doesn't get the keys to the ship, no matter how much she begs." Molly grinned when the young blond scowled at her.

"Doctor's orders. You know we're following that one." Matt squeezed Striker's arm gratefully as he passed her, wrapping his arm around Jennifer's shoulders to escort her out of the medbay.

Hugs and handshakes were liberally dispensed in the hangar and Molly gave both Rob and Jennifer one final check before allowing them to board the jumpship, with Tank and Hawk following closely behind them.

Power hugged Striker and planted a quick kiss on top of her head. "Thank you," he whispered near her ear. "You're the best."

She patted his back. "Get out of here, you big lug. And take care of Jennifer, or I WILL show up at your door and take her away from you."

"You don't know where we live. And Rob's gonna be hurt that you're not threatening to take him too." He winked at her, then turned to Herndon. "Sorry for barging in on you like this but thank you. We'll restock your food and medical supplies within the week."

Addy was already shaking her head. "You don't need to worry about that. Just take care of your people. Get yourselves home and resting. Everything else will take care of itself."

Despite a war raging around them, they still had the support of friends to get them through. He would be forever grateful for it.

"Stay safe, Addy." Jon hugged her and felt her return hug, as emotion-filled as his own.

"That's always on the 'to do' list. You should know that by now." Herndon pulled back to look at him, her expression turning stern. "Promise me you'll talk to her."

"Yes, Mom."

He was rewarded with a swat to the back of his head. "I am old enough to be your big sister. MAYBE your crazy aunt. But definitely not your mother," Addy scolded. "Now promise me."

Jon grinned at her as he moved toward the ramp. "I promise. Good luck with the mission." With a final wave, he boarded the ship.

* * *

Though Jennifer sat in her seat, she transferred primary flight controls to Matt's side. She slipped her seat harness into place and tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in a yawn.

"You can doze off, you know. I know how to fly the ship," Matt said softly. He finished running through the pre-flight checks before resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure the med bunk is more comfortable than your seat."

Jennifer smiled softly at him. "I'll be fine right here, Matt. But thanks."

A shadow came over them and both looked over their shoulders to find Power leaning over their seats. After a moment, he squatted down between them and touched Jennifer's arm. "Go lay down on the med bunk."

He wanted to order her, but he also knew that would get him nowhere.

Matt grinned. "I already tried that one. She's refusing."

"I'll be okay right here." She lightly squeezed his hand and gave them both a small smile. "Stop looking at me like I'm going to die."

"You're not allowed to die. It's in the contract you signed when you joined the team." Matt leaned over and planted a firm kiss on her forehead before ruffling her hair.

Jon realized that Jennifer hadn't let go of his hand yet and smiled back at her. "That is definitely one order you're not allowed to disobey."

She just chuckled, then rested her head back into her seat, not even trying to fight the yawn that escaped.

With another squeeze of her arm, Jon said softly, "It's okay to sleep on the way home."

"We'll see," she responded noncommittally. "Unless you're ordering me, of course."

She was practically snuggling into the seat at this point and Jon had to stop himself from going to the hold to get a blanket for her. "Not ordering you. You'd probably ignore it, anyway, wouldn't you?"

Another chuckle and another yawn. She was used to their teasing about rule breaking and how it came out when they were more worried about her than usual.

"Take us home, Matt." With a final squeeze of Jennifer's arm and a pat on Matt's shoulder, Jon moved back to Scout. The young man had also loosely belted himself in and was yawning almost as consistently as Chase. With a small nod to the front of the ship, Jon quietly said, "She's politely declined the med bunk. It's yours if you want it."

Baker immediately rolled his eyes. "Pilot, for crimony's sake, take the medbunk!" He'd already refused it himself, wanting Chase to rest en route to the base.

Though there was soft laughing through the cabin at his comment, it took a moment before Jennifer turned in her seat. When they saw the look on her face, they all quieted. "I'd rather stay up here with all of you."

Rob nodded, understanding clearly written on his face as his annoyance faded. "Same reason I don't want it," he answered.

They both settled back in their seats and the jumpship lifted off.

Only ten minutes into the flight, Jon ducked into the hold and returned with a small pile of blankets. He carefully lifted Rob's head from his console and placed one of the blankets on it before settling the sleeping man back down and covering him with another. In the front, Jennifer had fallen asleep with her head awkwardly tilted against the access panel on her left. She stirred when he gently slipped a blanket between her head and the cold metal, but was out again before he tucked the remaining blanket around her.

* * *

Jon moved quickly through the base, needing time with his senior officers without worrying about the other two hearing their concerns. He had set the showers for three cycles to allow them time to relax their aching muscles and hopefully soothe their headaches; twelve minutes wasn't long, but he hoped it would be enough to get the main thoughts out.

"Mentor, monitor Chase and Baker. Any change in vital signs, notify me immediately." Jon set the alert with their supercomputer as he walked, then transferred any use of the comm units in the bathrooms to go through his wrist communicator.

He found Hawk and Tank in the kitchen, readying some tea. As soon as he was within hearing range, Masterson began speaking.

"Jon, that rattled me. The big guy here too. And not by just a little." He leaned against the counter and looked out the door, worry written all over his face. "If we're feeling like this, what are Rob and Jennifer like? Neither one of them said anything when we got home. That's not like them."

"Agree." Jon's gut had been knotted the entire trip home. He knew they were exhausted and seeing them both doze off in their seats had been as unsettling as when they'd done it in the hold on the way to Virago's base. He'd checked them multiple times, just to make sure they were still breathing, but even that didn't settle him.

"We need those two. We won't find anyone else with the skills they have." It was Ellis who said the words that had been going through Jon's brain, tormenting him.

Separately, Baker and Chase were each a force to be reckoned with. They analyzed problems in ways that baffled the rest of the team. Ideas came from seemingly out of the proverbial left field and they worked. Together, though, they bordered on extraordinary. Their handling of the transit gate situation was just one in a series of problems they'd tackled and solved with whatever happened to be available. And when time was not on their side.

If they lost either Baker or Chase, their chances of winning the war were drastically reduced. If they lost both? Though he didn't want to admit it to even himself, he had no choice but to face reality. There was very little hope without them.

"Not to mention that I've grown rather attached to them," Matt added, rubbing at his eyes to get rid of the sudden wetness that threatened to fall.

"You're not the only one." Jon reached out and squeezed his foster father's arm, understanding all too well those feelings of loss that were washing over him. "And I don't think they'd do well without each other."

They'd all seen the relationship that had grown between Jennifer and Rob as the years had passed. Right from the start, Rob had used humor to make her talk and it became obvious that he was the one she felt most comfortable with even before she'd joined the team. Once she'd moved into the base, the two became nearly inseparable. It wasn't at all strange to find them working late into the night to make repairs or come up with new tools or weapons for their missions. It had turned into an almost sibling-like relationship, especially for Rob, who took Jennifer's safety and well-being personally.

Jon continued, knowing their time was limited. "I feel a little better knowing that Molly has checked them over, but I don't want either of them alone tonight."

Both Tank and Hawk nodded their approval.

"I'll take watch on Scout," Ellis said without hesitation. He knew what Jennifer meant to both Masterson and Power and he wanted them to have their time with her.

Matt looked at Jon, eyebrow raised, silently offering him the option he knew the young man didn't just want but needed.

"Matt, you're the closest we have to a full medic, so I'm going to ask you to float between the two. I'll stay with Pilot. Mentor will monitor transmissions for the night." Power tried his best to come up with a legitimate reason to stay with Jennifer other than he wanted to.

Hawk nodded in agreement. "We'll have Mentor patch through any messages from Striker or Alpha. I'm actually surprised we haven't heard from Adam or Elle already."

"I'll be calling them as soon as we get them resting." Jon knew it was best to hear it from him instead of the grapevine.

"Sounds good. You let me know when you want to do that, and I'll stay with her." Matt's eyes gave away the concern he still felt. "I'll feel better seeing her myself anyway. Same with Rob."

Michael smiled sadly. "I doubt any of us will be getting much sleep tonight." Though he was undoubtedly going to be right, he knew none of them would regret the peace of mind that came with it.

"Alright, gentlemen, I am going to head back to them and see how they're doing." Jon was already on his way out the door and gave his thumbs up approval to mugs of tea in their quarters when Matt asked.

Less than a minute later, he was back at the bathrooms. The sound of running water gave him a bit of peace. They were still relaxing. He looked in and to his left and found the lights low, but steam rising from the stall farthest from the door. To the right, it was dark.

"Jennifer?" Jon called out. He quickly slapped at the switch to her side of the showering area, the overhead lights flooding the room with brightness. "Jenn?" He said her name again and walked in, checking all the stalls in case she'd fallen or was too weak to answer him.

The whole place was empty.

"Mentor, locate Corporal Chase." He snapped the words out, his gut once again churning.


	8. Chapter 8

"Captain!" Rob poked his head out of the stall at the shout. "She's okay. Said she wanted a few minutes alone. You KNOW her. Give her some time to process everything before you get in her face."

"Corporal Chase is in the landing bay." Mentor's voice came through his communicator and Jon took a slow, deep breath before nodding. Baker was right. Jennifer had always withdrawn for a little while after an emotionally charged mission. In his haste to want to make things right for her, he'd forgotten that he had to give her some time.

"You're right. Thanks for the reminder." He waited in the hall until the young man emerged several minutes later, dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt.

And he looked like crap. Dark circles were becoming apparent under his eyes and the whites of his eyes were more bloodshot than usual. It didn't stop him from regarding his commanding officer as though HE was the unwell one. "Have you been out here stewing this whole time?"

Power nodded sheepishly. It always surprised him how well his team could read him, even when he thought he was keeping things well hidden.

"You know you could have showered while you waited? You're not exactly fresh smelling." Rob raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe consider that before you go talk to Jenn?"

Jon shook his head and chuckled. Baker wasn't normally this free with his advice, but he wasn't wrong in his assessment. "I'll keep that in mind."

They walked in silence the short distance to Baker's quarters where he sat down wearily on his bed. "That sucked."

"Which part?" Jon asked jokingly as he pulled the chair away from the desk and sat down on it.

As Power had done just a few minutes earlier, Baker drew in a calming breath.

They both knew the whole situation had sucked. It had gone from potentially getting an upper hand on Dread to possibly losing two of the suits. The suits that were designed to be the upper hand on Dread.

But the team was still intact. That was the important part.

"Rob?" Jon needed the young man to talk. He knew how upset Matt and Michael were; Jennifer was already begging for solitude. If he could get Rob to open up, he'd have more of an idea what he needed to do for the man.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, not meeting Jon's gaze. "Captain, it happened so fast. We've trained for this. I thought I was prepared, but when it came right down to it…" Scout stopped, shaking his head. Several seconds passed before he finally looked at him. The guilt in his eyes was almost unbearable. "She could have been killed. Or worse."

Suddenly enraged, Baker grabbed his boot from the floor and hurled it across the room, eyes blazing. It hit the wall and fell harmlessly to the ground as he yelled, "I couldn't do a damn thing to help her! I couldn't push her away! I couldn't fire my blaster, I couldn't even LOOK at her! Hell, if we were going to die, I wanted her to at least know I was there with her!"

"She KNEW Rob!" Jon raised his voice, but kept all anger out of it. He had witnessed enough attacks on his team to understand that guilt and anguish. "You BOTH could have been killed. Or worse. But you both made it out of there alive and you saved those kids. You put a family back together." He put as much conviction into his voice as he could despite the knot that still curled his gut. "We all know this is a dangerous game we're playing. Any day, hell, any minute, it could all change. It almost happened today, but it didn't. So as Michael would say, we count our blessings and move forward."

They were both silent for several moments before Scout nodded. When he finally looked at Power, his expression was somber. "Captain, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."

He nodded in return. "You're not the only one."

"She needs to know that." Rob regarded him for a long moment, as if he could read Jon's mind. "She needs to hear that from you." He stood and walked to his desk, taking the softsuit from where he'd tossed it before his shower. As he handed it to Power, he added, "Let me know how she's doing. I tried talking to her earlier, but she just said she was okay and wanted to get some work done on the jumpship. She left for the hangar before I could say anything else."

"Time for tea and vitals."

Both turned as Hawk and Tank entered, a field medical kit in Masterson's hands and a tray in Ellis's.

Rob gratefully took a mug from Tank. "Go talk to Jenn," he said to his commanding officer before sipping the tea. "But take a shower first."

* * *

Power hesitated just inside the hangar doors. When repairs were being made, music was usually playing. Tonight, there was only silence.

She stood across the bay, at her workbench. As he drew closer, he saw that her hair was still damp as it hung down her back. She hadn't even taken the time to dry it, her need for solitude so intense that she'd pretty much bolted for the hangar.

She looked up at the sound of his footsteps. His eyes caught hers and he gave her a small smile.

Her return smile was weak, and she quickly looked back down at the scatter of parts – and her soft suit - on the bench. She'd barely said a word since they'd returned to the base.

"You okay?" It was a fair question – one he'd asked her after countless missions – and he knew her well enough to read her body language, no matter what her verbal response was.

She picked up a scorched circuit panel and nodded without looking at him. And he saw her hand tremble. Just enough that he knew to disregard her nod.

"Hey…" he whispered, stepping closer to her. Her back to his chest, he gently draped an arm around her neck, his fingers slowly kneading her shoulder. She tensed, and he thought for certain she would pull away. The digitization attempt, the explosions, the near catastrophe of the mission. It was still fresh in her mind and he'd possibly pushed her too close to the emotional edge while attempting to soothe her. But a moment later, she leaned into him, the circuit panel dropping to the bench with a clatter. "I know," he continued. "It was a little too close today."

"Yeah." She barely breathed out the word and her hands gripped his arm, tightening his hold on her. Her fingers were icy against his skin and she trembled, almost shivering. "I can't stop shaking, Jon."

"Molly said this is normal and to give it time. Believe me when I say that we're all feeling the way you are." His hand came up and covered both of hers. He understood the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush they'd had today. So often, they had to go from one battle to the next, barely allowing themselves time to breathe, let alone recover from the nightmares they encountered. The stress they were under was apparent on their faces, in their movements, in the terse orders that passed around the jumpship during those times and so he was grateful for the last hour he'd had with his team. He was grateful they had made it home. He was grateful they could all actually talk about it, face the reality of the situation, understand that in spite of the suits, they were still vulnerable. They needed each other on the front lines and they needed each other when it was done.

It hadn't been a lie when he'd told Scout he didn't know what he'd do if something happened to her. And holding her gave him the proof that she was still there, still in one piece, still part of his world.

Her head rested against his chest and she seemed to relax, though her words were still filled with tension from the day's events. "Jon, there was a time when digitization would have been an honor. When Soaron caught Rob and me today, I was terrified. All I could think was that I'd rather die than be digitized or go back to Volcania."

"We were all afraid, Jennifer." He would tell her a hundred times that she wasn't the only one with these feelings if that was what she needed to hear. "But we weren't going to let you die out there. And those BioDreads will NEVER take you back to Volcania. There's no way we will let that happen." He needed her to know that. He needed her to understand that she was part of _their_ team and they would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.

She slipped one of her hands out from under his and touched her suit. The thing that had saved her from being taken from everyone she loved. "The digitization attempt drained all the power from it. Even the reserves are gone." She fingered the material, concern apparent on her face.

"Don't worry about it. If there's anything wrong, we can fix it." He knew the possibility existed that one of the suits would be damaged. The close encounters they had grew more intense every time they fought Dread.

"You _know_ I'm going to worry about it. And what if there _is_ something wrong with it and it's irreparable?" Jennifer tensed in his arms, her worry growing. "None of us have been hit like that before."

He smiled, though she couldn't see it. She was always so concerned about the suits. "With the collective brainpower on this team, I'm certain we'll solve that problem if it arises."

She was silent for a long moment. When she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Jon, what if Locke had lied to us? What if Dread had found the jumpgate and somehow gotten through?"

He'd thought about that as well and didn't like any of the scenarios he'd come up with. What the situation HAD made him realize was that he would NEVER send any of his team alone anywhere again. He just couldn't risk a loss like that, no matter how simple or straightforward the mission seemed.

"But he didn't lie to us, Jenn." It was all he could come up with. He couldn't 'what if' the situation because it would drive him mad.

She rubbed at her eyes, sniffling.

"Jennifer…" He moved so he could see her face and though she tried to hide it, he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. Without hesitation, he turned her so they were facing each other and enveloped her in a fierce hug.

She broke, the sobs finally coming out as she clung to him.

Jon rested his cheek on top of her head and rocked her gently, stroking her hair and back. He could have lost everything. But everything was still right here, in his arms.

They held each other for several long minutes and when Jon felt he could finally trust himself to speak without breaking down, he whispered, "I love you, Jennifer, and I will do whatever I have to do to protect you."

A moment later, she was squirming in his arms and her tear-streaked face turned up to his. "What did you just say?" She blinked at him like he'd spoken in a foreign language.

With his heart pounding in his ears, he said it again. Eight letters. Three words. One meaning. "I love you." Her small body began to tremble slightly in his arms and her fingers tightened on his shirt.

She wasn't letting go of him.

"Like Rob loves me? Or Matt or Michael?" There was a flicker of something in her blue eyes, as if she still didn't quite understand what he was saying.

Was he the only one that had never told her? He knew about Rob, but how had he never heard the other two tell her? "Not like any of them. Or the Rowans." For a moment, he simply stared at her, wanting to burn every bit of this into his memory. "I've fallen in love with you." He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and stroked away the tears with his thumb.

"I was trying to tell you…before we left for the mission…" Tears were welling again, and she closed her eyes to regain some kind of composure. When she opened them, she spoke softly but firmly, even as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was trying to tell you that I love you. But I was scared you wouldn't feel that way about me."

Jon laced his fingers into hers against his chest and squeezed gently. Her hand in his, her cheek in his palm - the physical contact thrilled him in ways he'd never thought possible. He'd fallen hard for her a long time ago and had reigned in those feelings because of the war. But he'd grown weary of not feeling. He needed this. Needed the contact with her, needed her to know she had become an irreplaceable part of his world.

Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he looked into her bright blue eyes. And then his lips softly touched hers.

Gentle pressure, warmth. Passion hidden behind the hesitation of a first kiss. This was what he'd been fighting so long for.

It took a moment for her eyes to open when the kiss ended. "I like that." Color flushed her cheeks slightly.

Jon was still close enough to feel her breath against his lips when she spoke. "I've wanted to do that for quite some time now," he admitted.

"I've been feeling like this almost a year." Her cheeks reddened even more, but she didn't move away from him.

Jon groaned. It had been even longer for him. "We could have been doing this for a year."

Her lips brushed the stubble on his cheek before she whispered, "Or more than this."

Then her mouth found his and he lost himself in her.

"Jon, it's Matt. Come in."

They slowly broke apart at Masterson's voice and when Jon opened his eyes, he saw that hers were still closed, her lips slightly parted. He gently touched his forehead to hers and watched as the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

He couldn't resist, and his mouth took hers again.

When Matt's voice broke through the silence a second time, Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle mid-kiss. "Are you gonna answer him?" she whispered against his lips.

"I'm kissing you. I have priorities." Jon's hand tangled in her hair and his arm circled her waist, bringing her back to him.

With reluctance, Jennifer broke the kiss and pushed back slightly to regard him. "I like your priorities, but you should answer him. Then we can do more of this without interruption. If this headache ever goes away." For motivation to complete the task, she directed him to the floor and curled up on his lap, snuggling against his chest. Then she tucked her head under his chin, so her lips were no longer easily accessible.

Jon sighed, knowing she was right. He opened the line on his communicator even as he tightened his arms around her. "Power here." His fingers stroked through her hair and he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

Masterson filled him in on a final debriefing from Cypher as well as messages he'd need to follow up on from Locke and Striker. "How is Jennifer doing?"

Jon smiled though Matt had no way of seeing him. "I'm going to tuck her into bed in just a minute." He'd felt her relax in his arms as the conversation had gone on and knew from her deep, rhythmic breathing that she was already asleep.

"Say again?"

He heard the confusion in the older man's voice and his smile grew. "Meet me in her quarters so you can get those vitals for Molly." After receiving a still confused acknowledgment from the major, he closed the channel and carefully scooped Jennifer into his arms. She stirred slightly, then settled again with some soothing words and a kiss pressed against her forehead.

Masterson was waiting for them and he began to chuckle when he saw the way Jon was cradling her in his arms. "Finally talked, huh?"

"About what?" Jon asked innocently as he moved past the older man into the dimly lit room.

He followed him, muttering sarcastically, "About what?" He rolled his eyes at the captain, who just grinned in return, holding her in his arms as Matt untied her boots and carefully slipped them off her feet.

Jon gently placed her on the mattress and rested her head on the pillow, softly stroking some hair off her cheek.

"Did she say anything was hurting before she fell asleep?" Matt sat down on the edge of the mattress beside her and took her temperature with the temporal sensor, then counted her pulse.

"Just her head," Jon answered and saw Masterson enter that information on the file he was sending Molly.

Jennifer remained asleep until Matt poked her finger with a lancet to draw some blood. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned, looking at them questioningly. "Where am I?"

"In your quarters." Matt answered her, not giving Jon time to respond. "Let me get your blood pressure, then you can go back to sleep."

She barely noticed as the cuff inflated, her focus now on Jon. "Stay with me." It wasn't a question and both men knew it.

"He's not going anywhere." Matt made sure the vital signs had been recorded on the data pad, then patted her arm. "Do you want to keep your sweater on or sleep in a t-shirt?" They'd both noticed she was wearing her favorite sweater, so well worn that it was softer than any of the most expensive fabrics available on the black market.

"Sweater. Kinda cold."

Jon looked over Matt's shoulder at the datapad and relaxed a bit when he saw her temperature was normal. No fever.

She rolled over onto her side and looked up sleepily at Masterson. "How is Rob?"

He slipped his hand into hers and smiled reassuringly. "He's holding steady, just like you. And he's asleep. So don't worry about him, okay? You just go back to sleep."

She nodded and yawned at the same time. "Still gonna worry. But sleep sounds good." Jennifer turned sleepy eyes on Jon. "Stay with me." Again, it wasn't a question.

Jon nodded and yanked off his boots and socks while waiting for Matt to finish up.

"Do you need to get your pajamas?" Jennifer asked him. She didn't miss the smirk that crossed his face, in spite of how tired she was. "What?"

He dropped his pants on the floor next to his boots, leaving him in just his t-shirt and underwear. "I don't usually wear pajamas to bed." He lifted the blankets and Jennifer snuggled into his side as soon as he was near her.

She chuckled at the visions her exhausted mind was creating. "You don't have to change your routine on my account."

"Not tonight, Dear. You have a headache." He pulled the blankets up to her chin and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're right. I do." Her head rested on his chest, right above his heart.

Matt rolled his eyes at the two and shook his head. They were already like an old married couple, yet they'd acknowledged their true feelings for each other barely an hour ago. Life at the base had just gotten far more interesting. "I'll be back in a little while to check on you, Jennifer. If you need anything before then, give me a yell. I'm monitoring both your quarters and Rob's."

"Thanks, Matt." Her eyes were already closed and her breathing steadied within seconds.

Masterson simply watched her for a long minute. On the rare occasion he'd seen her sleep, she was ill or injured and needed monitoring. There had always been worry or pain on her face; her sleep had been restless at best. Now, with her body half on Power and buried under two blankets, she was at peace.

When he realized Jon was watching him, he smiled. "I'm glad you two finally figured it out."

"I almost lost my chance, Matt." The young man's blue eyes were troubled, stark contrast to the woman in his arms.

"'Almost' doesn't matter." Matt shook his head. "Get some sleep. You've earned it."

Jon kissed Jennifer's hair. "I still need to call the Rowans and let them know what happened. I'd rather they hear it from me than through the grapevine. Give me an hour or so here, then wake me up, if I'm asleep."

Matt nodded. "Can do. Sleep well." He left the door open on his way out, the dim light from the hall casting shadows around the room.

Jennifer shifted in her sleep, snuggling in closer to Jon. Her fingers curled into his shirt and her face turned up slightly to his.

Jon softly kissed her forehead. He wasn't going to sleep, no matter how tired he was. And that was fine with him. He didn't want to miss even a second of this.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Just a little reminder that they're human. And this war has been going on for at least 15 years. They're tired. Everyone is looking to them to save the world and that is taking its toll. They ARE human.

* * *

"Thanks, Sarge. I know it's last minute and you've already got your hands full." Jon smiled gratefully at the gray-haired woman on the vid screen, not wanting to take up any more of her time during the middle of a mission.

Sergeant Elle Rowan, Alpha Base's commander of operations, shook her head, her blue eyes filled with sincerity when she spoke. "You are always welcome here, Jon. You know that." She acknowledged someone off screen, before turning her attention back to him. "We'll see you when you get here. Tell my girl I love her."

Jon knew that was coming. Elle never signed off without telling Jennifer personally or making sure that he told her. "I will. Good luck with the mission."

She nodded. "Thank you. Safe travels. Transferring you to Sam." With a final smile, the screen went black for a moment before Dr. Samantha Cooke appeared on screen.

Alpha's chief physician raised an eyebrow in greeting. "I don't like it when YOU request to talk with me. Anyone ever tell you, you need a medic?"

Though he knew she was teasing him, he also knew the time had come to make that move. "In the last twenty-four hours? Just you and Molly. And Elle. And my conscience."

"Well, good. Maybe you'll listen to one of those voices." She spoke teasingly, then took a sip from her mug before continuing. "I've been monitoring the vitals Matt's been sending. They look okay for now, but since you're going to be here by day's end, I want to see them both when you arrive."

"I was going to ask you for that very thing. Thank you." Relief washed over him, almost as if a physical weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "They are SO worn out, Sam. I've never seen them like this."

She sat back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the desk. "I'll have Molly fill me in on things when she gets here, but I want to hear it from you as well. Tell me exactly what happened."

Jon gave her the mission details and the digitization attempt. "I haven't found any corruption to their suits, all systems are checking out in the normal range, all circuits are functioning as expected. The power was completely drained, but we've had that happen before with no effects like this to our physical well-being."

"But no one has ever been hit with the digitzer before, have they?" Sam absently twisted her long brown hair into a braid as she talked.

"Never." Jon's stomach churned as the memory returned with full force. He'd come so close to losing them. Never had that threat been so real.

Fingers once again drumming on the desk, Sam said, "Bear with me. I have a thought, but I know there's information you can't give me, so I'm just going to throw out some ideas."

He leaned forward in his chair, willing to entertain whatever thoughts she wanted to share. He needed to know what to do to help his team.

"When Soaron or Blastarr is digitizing someone, they're somehow converted from their organic form to what amounts to computer data. That tells me their energy must be drawn out of their cells as this is happening, though I have no idea HOW that happens. What if the suits can protect you from being digitized, but it comes at a cost to both the suit AND the wearer? It draws out the energy from the suits until there's nothing left, then attacks the energy of the wearer?"

Jon sat quietly, mulling over the idea. They'd known from the start that upon activation, the suits were linked to the wearer. And it stood to reason that the reverse would be true as well. That they themselves were linked to the suits. At one point or another during the war, they'd all said that charging the suits brought them a physical rush, but they'd always assumed it was adrenaline from the upcoming mission. Maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was an actual energy surge into their bodies from the charging station itself.

When Pilot and Scout had been caught in the digitizing beam, their suits' power had been depleted and failed only seconds after the beam had let them go. There had been no warnings about power levels remaining, cutoff levels reached or imminent system failure. They were suddenly and completely vulnerable.

"You see where I'm going with this, don't you?" Sam's voice softly broke through his thoughts.

Jon nodded grimly. He'd run their suits through a thorough inspection and had found no damage to them. There was only the depleted power supply. Though they were protected from the digitization process itself, Sam's proposal that the wearer's own energy was attacked after the power supply was terrifying.

They'd come up with a countermeasure. A frequency modulation to prevent power leaching. A force field to prevent the beam from locking on. Both. Something else. Though they all worked with the suits and knew the mechanics of them, it was Rob and Jennifer that had worked with Jon the closest when it came to their specifications and modifications. As soon as they were able, this would be their top priority.

Sam continued. "In addition to the vital signs that Matt has been sending me, Molly sent me the blood work she did on all of you at her base. While you all had low blood sugar levels, you, Jennifer and Rob had the lowest. It's not abnormal for any of you to have those kinds of numbers, especially after a mission like you had. And Molly said Jennifer ratted you out about not eating before the mission, so that explains you especially. But one other interesting thing about the numbers was that both Rob and Jenn had low enough hemoglobin levels to consider them anemic. Not by much, but enough that it concerns me. Jon, this could be part of the digitization attempt or it could be diet-related. I know you're trying to limit your dependence on others for food and with your missions, I will guarantee you're not eating properly even if you DID have enough resources."

He nodded. "You're not wrong. We haven't been home more than a few hours at a time the last three weeks. There's been no time to hunt or set the traps. The hydroponics garden is growing just fine, but we've actually been taking most of the food out with us on missions to give to settlements because we haven't been able to cook any of it." He sighed. They tried their damnedest not to take resources from those who really needed it and shared their own food before it spoiled.

"Do you at least have some eggs, spinach and potatoes on hand right now?" Sam asked gently, the look on her face telling him she was grateful for their generosity to those in need.

He nodded. "I think there's a few eggs left, and I know for certain the spinach and potatoes can be harvested. Do you need some of those?"

Sam stared at him incredulously. "I wasn't asking for us, you goofus. Have you never noticed we have a farm here?" Not waiting for his answer after her teasing, she said, "If you have those three things, pull together a meal for everyone, but especially Rob and Jenn. I know Michael knows how to cook, so have him sauté up the spinach and toss it into some scrambled eggs. Make potatoes on the side, with the skins on them. So baked, smashed, fried, whatever. This will get some iron into everyone and we'll start working on more when you get here."

Jon nodded acknowledgement. He would do whatever they needed to in order to get those two healthy again. And then they would figure out how to make sure it never happened again. "Thanks, Sam. I owe you."

She just shook her head. "You bring Jennifer back here, so Adam and Elle can stop worrying and we're even."

"I can do that. See you soon." He signed off and opened a secure channel to Elzer Polarski's group.

Thirty seconds passed before Sergeant Ray Simms responded. "Captain, what can I do for you?"

"Clutch, I need to talk with Polarski. Is he around?" Jon stifled the yawn that threatened to break through. He knew he was being rather informal with the young communications officer, but truthfully, he was too tired to care about protocol.

Simms nodded and quickly turned to someone off-screen. "Cap, it's Captain Power. Needs to talk with you, ASAP."

Though Jon hadn't said it was urgent, he was grateful Clutch had taken it upon himself to make it that way. Dead of night calls didn't happen unless they were absolutely needed.

Elzer Polarski replaced Simms on the screen and his brow was already furrowed when he spoke. "Jon? What's going on?"

Blowing out a deep breath, Jon retold the story for the third time in less than an hour. He leaned forward in his chair and scrubbed his hands over his face, attempting to clear his eyes. "You were scheduled to be in the delta quadrant at the Passages. Are you actually there?"

Polarski's eyes had grown wide as the story unfolded. "Yes. We're restocking our supplies. Do you need us to get anything for you? We can meet you for a drop off."

Jon nodded. "We need a some _one_ , not a some _thing_. Rob's significant other, Nikole Trosko, lives in the delta quadrant. Will you bring her to Alpha Base on your way home?"

"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "We were planning to leave here at fourteen hundred hours. Will that work for her?"

"I haven't talked with her yet, but I'm going to say that she'll meet you in the hangar by thirteen forty-five." He knew without a doubt that Nikki would be there. She'd probably even be there an hour early, just so she didn't miss the flight.

"Let me know if anything changes with the plan. Otherwise, we'll see her at the ship."

With a grateful nod and a few final words, he closed the channel, then punched in the information for the last call. He was going to need a very long nap when this was done. "This is Captain Jonathan Power. Please patch me through to Nikole Trosko, delta quadrant, sector G. Top priority." With a sigh, he sat back in his chair, taking advantage of the few minutes he had to rest his eyes while she was being contacted.

A soft ping announced the call was ready and he quickly opened the channel. A young woman's face appeared on the screen and she was visibly trying to keep her panic under control. "Jon?"

He spoke quickly and firmly. "He's going to be okay, Nikki. I need you to breathe." And though he knew she wouldn't actually feel his touch, he put his hand against the screen.

She returned the gesture, tears already rolling down her cheeks. "How bad is it?"

Jon gave her all the information they had, from the digitization attempt to the most recent vital signs. As a nurse, he knew she would listen to what he was saying and realize that, at the moment, Rob wasn't in danger. "Elzer Polarski's team is leaving from your quadrant at fourteen hundred hours. They have a seat for you in their ship. We'll meet you at a secure location where both Rob and Jennifer will be receiving medical treatment."

"I'll be at the hangar by thirteen hundred." Nikki nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Jon."

"You don't have to thank me. I know how hard it is to be apart through this war and hearing everything after the fact." He touched the screen again and she responded the same. "We'll see you soon."

Jon stirred and turned his head on the pillow, struggling for a moment to move his left arm before realizing the body next to him was on it. The body next to him.

He was immediately awake and in awe of the woman at his side. At some point, Jennifer had gotten too warm and stripped out of the sweater and sleep pants. Now, dressed in only a short-sleeve shirt and her underwear, she was pressed against him, pinning his arm against his side.

With care, Jon moved on the mattress until his arm was free and he flexed his fingers to get some circulation in them again. Before the tingling had even subsided, Jennifer shifted in her sleep, snuggling into his side as she had done nearly the entire night. Her fingers closed reflexively into the neck of his shirt and a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth, then faded as she returned to a deeper sleep.

He wrapped his arms around her and said a silent prayer that she would continue to sleep peacefully. The night had brought dreams that had her calling out in her sleep, begging for help from almost everyone she knew. Though he'd been able to soothe her, it had taken several hours for her brain to stop sending the terrifying messages. Rob had been the same way and it had been difficult to see them in such pain, unable to get any restful sleep despite their exhaustion. They'd finally made the choice to give them just a little sedation. It had helped significantly and all three of the remaining team had started to breathe easier.

Jon had never regretted taking time to make sure those under his command were healing following their injuries in a mission. They HAD to be in top physical condition to do their jobs effectively. But he'd never really paid attention to how he was doing following missions. He just dealt with the pain and the damaged body parts and moved on, basically pretending he wasn't hurt.

He couldn't do that right now. The pain he felt inside was still very real.

Though he'd said it out loud several times following the attack, he had to truly acknowledge that two of his team had nearly been digitized. It wasn't just Jennifer that considered the guys her family. He felt the same.

He couldn't lose more of his family and he'd seem that same feeling in the eyes of Hawk and Tank. They would all do whatever they had to, to make Jennifer and Rob whole again. And once that happened, he knew the pain he felt would go away.

Jon had finally fallen asleep spooning Jennifer, his arm entwined with hers and pressed against her chest, their legs tangled. And they'd both slept for hours.

Now, with his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, he simply watched her as she slept. He felt foolish waiting so long to tell her how much she meant to him. He could have had so many more nights with her. So much more time, even if it was just minutes here and there. But it could have been minutes like this.

She whimpered beside him and her whole body twitched hard enough for her eyes to open. Jon held her gently, trying to not startle her more than she already was.

"It's okay. You're safe here," he whispered as he stroked her hair and cheek.

She took several deep breaths, vacantly staring at him, before recognition filled her eyes and a small grin touched her lips. "Did that really happen?" Her question was timid, yet her voice was filled with wonder.

Her smile filled him with relief and he asked, "Which part?" He was thoroughly enjoying the way her body pressed against his, relaxed and warm, even as he teased her with his answer.

"The 'I love you' part." Her fingers were splayed across his chest and she was seemingly unconcerned that he'd answered her question with his own.

Jon smiled as he stroked her hair. "Yes," he answered firmly. Then, very gently, he kissed her lips. "And so did that."

She responded to his touch and moved closer to him, but he felt her body tense and the knot tightened in his stomach again.

"Jenn…talk to me." He continued to run his fingers lightly over her cheek and hair.

"My head hurts."

He froze for a moment, then lifted his communicator to his mouth. "Matt, Jennifer needs some pain reliever. As soon as possible."

"On it," came the near instantaneous reply. "Be there in two minutes."

"I feel like crap, Jon," Jennifer whispered. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears in the dim light of the room.

"I beg to differ." He lightly kissed her temple, then her cheek, and then her lips again. "I think you feel incredible." He was so close to her that his lips brushed hers as he spoke.

She couldn't help but chuckle at his comment even as a few tears spilled. "Not what I meant."

"Well, it's what I meant." He brushed at the tears and pulled the blankets up a little more. "Let's get some meds into you and start you feeling better. Matt's been talking with Sam about options and Mentor was synthesizing some of them during the night. Close your eyes and rest until Matt gets here."

She breathed out deeply when he began to stroke her hair again and had dozed off by the time the doors to her quarters slid open.

Stirring at the sound, she lifted her head and immediately whimpered with the movement.

Jon gently drew her back to his chest and resumed his rhythmic rubbing on her scalp. "Matt's here. He's got some medicine for you."

When Matt pulled the blanket back, Jennifer groaned. "Really? You can't just give it to me in my arm?"

"Sorry, Kid. Sam says in your hip." He pulled up the hem of her shirt and pushed down slightly on her underwear to expose her skin, then rubbed it with an antiseptic pad. Before she had time to react, he jabbed the needle in and injected the contents of the syringe.

"Frell!" she hissed out, burying her face into Jon's chest.

"Dread swear. Haven't heard that in a while." Matt taped a small gauze pad on the injection site and adjusted her clothes before covering her with the blankets. "All done." He gently squeezed her shoulder.

Jennifer slowly turned her head to regard Masterson, looking utterly miserable. "How's Rob doing?"

"Better than you," came the answer, from the doorway.

Tears welled in her eyes and Jennifer extended her hand forward; Baker was soon holding it.

"This is new." Rob squeezed her hand gently, smiling at her as he pointed to the area beside her with his free hand.

She nodded, her grimace indicating the movement was a bad idea. "Mama gave it to me the last time we were at Alpha. She made it from their old shirts."

Rob rolled his eyes and kissed her knuckles. "I meant you having a guy in your bed. But the blanket IS a pretty fantastic reminder of your parents." He remembered how excited she had been when Elle and Adam had given it to her. The love she had for the Rowans seemed to grow more every day and theirs for her.

Jennifer yawned and groaned at the movement. Instead of answering him, her eyes closed, and she drew in several deep breaths, letting Rob's hand go so she could curl up against Power under the blankets.

"It'll get better, Jenn. I woke up feeling the same way, but that injection helped. Just rest now. It'll be about twenty minutes, but I promise you, you'll be able to move your head without wanting to puke." Rob brushed at the tears that streaked down her cheek. "He showered before he came to find you, didn't he?"

Jennifer hooked her fingers into his without opening her eyes and squeezed.

He tried to lighten the mood by teasing her. "Yeah. I told him to. You can thank me later." With a final squeeze, he stroked her hair as he spoke to Power. "It'll be better if she sleeps. If she's feeling anything like I was, it's like a mech is squeezing her head."

Jon acknowledged him and began to lightly rub her hair, neck and back. Her body relaxed into his almost immediately and she was soon breathing deeply, fast asleep.

"I'll check back in about a half hour. Call me if she gets worse," Matt said softly.

Rob was unable to suppress a yawn as he watched her sleep. When Matt touched his shoulder and pointed at the door, he nodded and reluctantly followed him.


	10. Chapter 10

She drew in a slow, deep breath and he lightly rubbed her arm as it rested on his chest. "That feels good," she murmured.

"Well, hey there, sleepyhead." Jon nuzzled her hair, keeping his voice low. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," she answered honestly. "Hungry. Everything hurts."

Her first response, and even her second, wasn't about pain. It was progress. Under the blanket, Jon ran the heel of his hand up her spine, putting light pressure on it. His fingers massaged her neck and shoulders before his hand followed the path back to her waist. "How's your head doing?"

She turned her face up to his and softly kissed his jaw. "I don't feel like my brain is being squeezed out my ears anymore."

"Well, that's a bonus." The image her comment brought forth made him want to shudder, but he refrained. "Be honest with me, Jenn. One to ten, what's the pain level in your head?" He continued to massage her as they talked, his only desire to ease her pain.

She moved so she was even more sprawled on him, giving him more access to her back. "About three point eight."

"About?" With her change in position, he was able to use both of his hands to gently rub her arms, back, shoulders and neck.

Jennifer chuckled. "Kinda hard to come up with an answer when you're doing that to me. Might start drooling soon."

"Not telling Molly that one." Jon kissed the top of her head. He wanted to spend the rest of his life like this. Away from the rest of the world, with the woman he loved.

Damn the war.

They stayed that way for several minutes, until Jon very gently rolled her onto her back and propped himself up on his elbow beside her. He smiled when her stomach growled almost immediately. "You did say you were hungry. How about I find some food?"

"I still feel like crap, but I want to get up. Can you help me get to the bathroom, then take me with you to the kitchen?"

Jon studied her, finally nodding his agreement. Rob had recovered well enough with the injection to walk independently. He had to see if Jennifer could do the same. Very slowly, he helped her move until she was finally sitting up without assistance. He knelt in front of her, ready to catch her if she didn't have the energy to keep herself upright.

Even in the dim light of the room, he could tell she was pale. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent and he hoped her eyes weren't as bloodshot as Baker's had been the night before. Her sleep-tousled hair hung down around her shoulders and she looked like she was going to fall over and go back to sleep at any moment.

When her stomach growled again, she smiled softly at him. "I feel like I haven't eaten anything in days."

"Then let's go find you some food," Jon answered. "But first, let's get you dressed."

Jennifer nodded at the sweater he pulled from the floor, along with the drawstring pants and socks she'd been wearing the night before. She allowed him to tug the sweater down over her head and slipped her arms into the sleeves when he held them up for her.

Sitting there on the side of the bed with him kneeling before her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed their foreheads together. "Thank you for taking care of me."

His fingers closed on her waist and he saw the exhaustion in her eyes, as painful to see as the muscle aches she was experiencing. "I will always take care of you. I just wish I could do more."

"You held me all night. You let me sprawl all over you and cry. You rubbed my back and my neck and you made me feel like I'm not a complete whiner because I got a boo-boo. How much more can you actually do?" She pressed a kiss against his lips, allowing it to linger as her fingers stroked through his har.

"I want to take your pain away. I want to make you feel well again." He nuzzled her. "You didn't just get a boo-boo, Jennifer. You got hit with a digitizer." One hand moved from her waist to cup her cheek. "Please, don't ever scare me like that again."

"I can't promise that, but I'll do my best." She kissed him again. "I love you, Jon Power."

"And I love you, Jennifer Chase." God, it felt good to just be able to say it. "And I want you to know that holding you all night and having you sprawled all over me are some of the best ways I can spend my time."

"So, you're saying we can do that even when I'm feeling better?" She looked at him, eyebrow raised, a grin starting to turn up the corners of her mouth.

He kissed her softly. "Hell yes." With a grin of his own, he slipped her sock on one foot, then the other. "Pants."

By the time she was fully dressed and standing, a huge yawn escaped her mouth. "That took so much effort." She slipped her arm around his waist and walked slowly with him down the hall and to the bathroom.

Jon waited until she emerged from the stall and held out a towel for her after she'd washed her hands and face.

She sighed as she leaned against the sink and looked at her reflection. "I look like a transport hit me."

Jon wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her tightly. "You're a little roughed up, but you're still gorgeous to me."

She snorted in response. "Get your eyes checked, Captain." Her disbelief in his words didn't stop her from snuggling into him. "I should do something with my hair, but I have no energy to even brush it."

"Good thing I have been around you and Virago for years now." Jon grabbed her brush from the shelf by the sink and carefully worked out all the tangles before gathering her hair into a loose ponytail. "Will that work? I don't want to give you any more of a headache than you already have." With her nod, he secured it with a band.

"Thank you." She slowly turned and rested against his chest, her arms wrapping around him to hold him close. "Can I just take a nap here?"

"Nope. Food." He disengaged her arms from his waist and kissed her pouty lips before helping her climb onto his back. "Ready to go?" He turned his head to look at her and was thoroughly taken by those blue eyes staring back at him.

She rested her cheek on his shoulder and began to kiss his neck. "Sure. Back to bed?"

Jon groaned softly at the suggestion. He had stopped even the infrequent dating he'd been doing when he realized how deep his feelings for Jennifer had become. He was going to have to do some serious physics calculations if he wanted to take things even marginally slow with her. "Later. Food now."

With her stomach growling its approval, he carried her to the kitchen and deposited her in the chair beside Baker at the table.

"Look who finally woke up and decided to show that sweet face to the rest of us." Rob leaned over and kissed her temple. There was no argument from him when she turned in her seat to hug him fiercely.

Matt placed a steaming mug on the table in front of her and smiled, his eyebrow raising as he regarded her. "Do you have enough energy to share a hug with me?"

Jennifer stood carefully and was enveloped in his arms. Tears began to roll down her cheeks when he softly said, "I love you, Kiddo."

"Love you too, Matt."

He patted her gently on her back, then made room for Michael.

The big man had no sooner set the plates of food he was carrying down on the table than Jennifer was hugging him also. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Little One." He kissed the top of her head and after a long moment, turned her face up to his and dried her cheeks. "You need to eat. That's an order."

"Yes, Sir." With a squeeze of his arm, she carefully deposited herself back into the chair. Her eyes grew wide at the plate of food in front of her.

Rob smiled and handed her a fork and napkin from the pile in the center of the table. "It tastes as good as it looks. Don't know if you're as hungry as I was –"

"Starving," Jennifer interrupted him, eagerly stabbing the potatoes and eggs and shoving a forkful into her mouth.

Power watched the two through the eyes of their commanding officer. They were both clearly unfit for duty and he didn't even want to guess how long it would take until they were back to themselves.

"Jon, you need to eat too." Matt raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to work on the plate in front of him. "We've already had our share. The rest is for the two of you."

With fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, Jennifer smiled at them. "Thank you for taking care of us."

Rob nodded his agreement. "We owe you. Big time."

"Disagree," Matt grunted, tossing a wadded up napkin at him. "We take care of each other."

"Need to teach you how to block a napkin. Maybe then you'll block a digitizer beam." Michael tossed his own at him, rolling his eyes when he didn't even bother trying to knock it away.

They continued with the light teasing while Power and Chase ate and their moods had lifted considerably by the time they'd finished.

It had been too long since they'd been able to do this. It hadn't been until he talked with Sam that Jon had realized it truly had been more than three weeks since they'd been at the base longer than just a few hours at a stretch. They were running on fumes physically.

A stop at Alpha would hopefully help change that.

But first, a short debriefing, now that they were all awake. Well, almost awake. Jennifer's eyelids were growing heavy, no doubt from the huge plate of food she'd just eaten. And though Rob was more awake, he, too, was starting to fade.

"There's a couple of changes I'd like to implement, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on them." Jon pushed his plate a little further in on the table to make room for his arms. He leaned forward and regarded them all for a moment before speaking. "In the past, we've all done solo missions out of necessity and sometimes just because it's nice to get away on your own for a bit. Even though we've been reasonable lucky, we HAVE run into trouble."

"I'm looking at you, Pilot," Scout teased, poking her in the side.

She rolled her sleepy eyes at him, though she didn't try to deny his words.

Jon knew what Baker was referring to but chose to let it pass with only a mild correction. "Every one of us has either been attacked or made it out by the skin of our teeth. Yesterday…" he trailed off, the churning in his gut growing once again.

"Jon." Matt softly brought his attention to him. "Two kids were rescued yesterday and reunited with their dad. And we all came home."

Jon drew in a very slow, deep breath, his eyes on Jennifer. They were in the middle of a debriefing, but he didn't much care. It was still too close to the surface. It was still too real. "If we'd continued with the plan I'd made yesterday, we could have had a very different result. In fact, I am certain we'd have had a very different result." He would take full responsibility for the decision to send Pilot alone, even with Scout's dissent. "Rob, you were right. It was NOT a good idea for Jennifer to go alone, especially on a skybike."

The young man nodded gratefully, then poked Chase again in the side. She smacked his fingers and rested her chin in her hand, elbow on the table.

Jon allowed the antics to continue without even a pointed look at the two. "With that said, I would like at least two of us on each mission. We've hit a few snags even running like that, but at least one of us could call for backup."

Nods all around the table.

"Mentor is currently running full diagnostics on your suits. We'll figure out what, if anything, needs to be done with them when that's complete."

Both Chase and Baker looked like they were going to be sick.

"Stop." Jon was already shaking his head. "You two are far more important than the suits and I don't want to hear any arguments from either of you." He raised his hand to stop their protests. "We've got two more hanging up in the chamber. The next one is almost ready to go. We know how they work and we can take care of them."

Though neither of them looked convinced, he continued. "Given the circumstances, I'm going to talk with Captain Polarski about bringing Abraham Carter with us for a few weeks. If Dr. Carter will agree to it, of course. He'll get to see what the job entails, how we work together and what he'll have to work with here, and we'll be able to evaluate how he meshes with us as a unit. If everything works out, I'd like to offer him a suit."

Jennifer protested anyway. "Jon, we don't even know if our suits are going to be okay. If they're not and we do need the two in reserve, that last one –"

"Will be put to very good use," he finished for her. "You're all worth it to me. Having a doctor on this team is something we've talked about for a long time. We needed one desperately yesterday and I don't like having to hunt down someone in the hope that we make it there in time."

She relented, though he knew she wasn't convinced.

Jon continued with a few more loose ends from both Locke and Cypher, his eyes moving to each of his team members as he talked, but returning repeatedly to Jennifer.

Rob was the one to rest his hand on her shoulder as her eyes closed. "Why are you falling asleep already? You've barely been awake an hour."

"Tired…" she nearly whined, surprising even herself with how it came out. "Why are you NOT this tired? I feel like I could sleep for days."

Matt knelt beside Jennifer and quickly collected her vital signs while another blood sample was analyzed. It seemed like the med kit was going to become a permanent part of his belt. "Sam and I have been going over the results from both of you and we're seeing a bit of a difference between you. You were similarly low when Molly took the first round right after it happened, but as of the last set, Rob has started to rebound while Jennifer has remained lower. I had Mentor analyze the suit data. Remember, Rob was fully charged when we started the mission and he was using the holofield for right around twelve minutes before Soaron showed up. That took his suit down to eighty-seven percent. Jennifer's was at ninety-four percent, but, like me, she took a couple of hits from the mechs before we could take them all down. That sent her suit down to eighty-two percent. Not much of a difference, but when the digitizer hit, that meant she had five percent less than Rob."

Jon felt the color drain from his face. "They were in the beam the same amount of time."

Michael turned to Jennifer, worry evident in his face and the way he held himself. "Your suit was depleted before Rob's."

Matt nodded. "Add to it that Jennifer is clearly smaller in stature than Rob. We've seen it before, that smaller people take upwards of ten seconds less to digitize than larger ones, so it stands to reason that more of her 'energy' was taken relative to yours before the beam was deactivated."

Jennifer folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them, yawning before she spoke. "That's just frelling fantastic."

Masterson looked at the values the analyzer flashed and patted her shoulder. "The good news is that your numbers aren't getting any lower. As of right now, they actually went up just a bit."

She gave a weak thumbs up, closed her eyes and was asleep.

For Jon, that settled it. "Gentlemen, we're going to Alpha. Please, pack your bags." He moved to Jennifer's side and scooped her carefully into his arms. "I'm going to strap her onto the bunk in the jumpship so she can just keep sleeping without being moved around. We'll wake her up when we get there."


	11. Chapter 11

Jon sat down beside Rob and lightly shook his shoulder. "Time to wake up. We're here."

The young man's eyes opened and he slowly stretched in his seat, pushing against his restraint for a moment before settling back. "That was a nice little nap."

Power laughed. "You were picking on Jennifer about falling asleep and you were out before we left the hangar."

"I never made any promises about staying awake." Rob unbuckled himself and stood slowly, the stiffness he was feeling apparent in the way he moved.

Tank moved into the hold just as Rob bent to get his bag. "Stop. Let me get that." With one hand he gathered the three in the corner. "How is Pilot?"

All three looked to the darkened medbunk, where a blanket covered mound was still belted in place.

"Hasn't budged since I put her there. Vital signs are holding steady." Jon had been glued to the remote diagnostic monitors for both Baker and Chase and thought he wasn't at ease over them, he wasn't any more alarmed by what he was seeing either. Resting a hand on Scout's shoulder, he said, "Report to Sam as soon as Marcus clears you. If he doesn't have an escort, Tank, will you make sure he gets to the bunker?"

Ellis nodded and gently prodded the younger man to the stairs. "Let's go. Don't keep the good doctor waiting."

Rob nodded. "Let me know what Sam says about Jenn. Please?"

"Of course. We'll be in the bunker shortly." With a final pat on his shoulder, he urged him out of the hold and went immediately back to the medbunk. Releasing the fasteners on the straps was enough to make her stir.

"Jon?" She rubbed her eyes and blinked several times, trying to get her bearings as she looked around the area. "Are we on the jumpship? Why do I keep waking up in random places?"

"Gotta keep you on your toes." Jon leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "We're at Alpha."

Those words were the impetus for her to push herself up and swung her legs off the bunk, more awake than she had been since the digitization attempt. When she looked up at him, there was fear in her eyes. "Why are we here? Dad was supposed to be on a mission today. Did something happen to him?"

"No no no. Not like that at all." He immediately felt guilty, not realizing she would have assumed the worst where her parents were concerned. "We're here so Sam can keep a closer eye on you and Rob and to just take a break," he soothed, stroking her hair and cheek.

Her head dropped to his chest and her fingers closed on his waist. For a moment, she just breathed, collecting her jumbled thoughts. "Okay," she said softly. "We should get out there before Marcus invades."

Alpha's security chief wasn't known for his patience and they all knew from past experience that he wanted to clear all ships and personnel as soon as possible after landing. Even those who were trusted were still subject to the clearance checks and keeping him waiting simply aggravated his sense of security.

With both their bags slung over his shoulder, Jon followed her up the few steps of the hold and to the hatch. She hesitated at the opening and shielded her eyes from the sun. As much as they loved seeing it, sometimes, it was blinding after being in the dark interior of the ship for so long.

"Thought I was going to have to come in there and flush you two out." At the bottom of the ramp, Marcus Cooke and two of his security team stood, not quite patiently waiting for them to step onto the ground. "Captain, Corporal, good to see you." He shook first Power's hand, then Chase's, but didn't let go of Chase. "Little Ro, you're to report to Dr. Cooke."

"Yes, Sir." Jennifer nodded, trying her best not to smirk at the nickname. Long ago, Cooke had called her that name after she'd disobeyed an order, then justified it using logic that could only be attributed to Staff Sergeant Adam Rowan. She had taken it as a compliment and learned shortly after that he only nicknamed people he truly cared about.

"And by 'you're to report to Dr. Cooke', I do mean you are to actually go to the med bunker, wait for her to get into the room, do the exam and follow through on what she has to say. Understood?" Marcus's dark brown eyes burned into her, but there was no malice in his tone.

She nodded again and gently squeezed his hand. "I'm okay, Marcus."

With a sigh, he took a step toward her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'll feel better when I hear my wife tell me herself you're okay." Standing only a couple of inches shorter than Jon, Marcus dwarfed Jennifer as they embraced. He looked at Power and shook his head. "This one has always been a handful."

Jennifer thumped his back but didn't try to escape him. "Play nice, Marcus."

"Oh, decided to pull out one from your mother, did you?" He thumped her back in response, then smiled at Power. "I'm just trying to stall a minute because I can feel Sarge's eyes drilling through me."

Jon snorted. "You are correct. She might throw you in the brig herself if you detain the corporal much longer."

Elle Rowan stood at the edge of the landing strip, impatiently waiting for them to get through the security check. She frowned at Jon, her head tipping slightly in an attempt to see around Cooke.

"Get going. She's putting up a strong front, but both she and Ro are pretty shaken up by what happened." Marcus caught the look Jon gave him and nodded.

Both understood the Rowans' fear. Jennifer wasn't just in the line of fire, she was one of the five strongest weapons the world had in the fight against Dread. Their eight-year-old daughter, Callie, had been killed when their first base had been raided and it had nearly destroyed them. Jennifer had been as much a balm for their own wounds as they had been for her. And losing her would be the final blow for them.

* * *

Jennifer's body ached as she walked the short distance across the landing strip. Elle met her halfway and then she was in her adoptive mother's arms. She relished the embrace and rested her head against Elle, snuggling under her chin. They held each other for several long minutes, saying nothing as the emotions washed over them.

Jennifer finally spoke, though her voice was slightly shaky. "I'm okay, Mama." The death grip Elle had on her hadn't lessened and she certainly didn't want it to, even if she told her she was okay.

"Now that I have seen you with my own eyes, I am also." Elle kissed her hair, pushing her back slightly to look directly into her eyes.

"I love you so much." It was all Jennifer could say without breaking down completely. She couldn't just yet, not while the Cowboys were still out on their mission with Virago.

Elle spoke softly, her normally stern, 'commander of base operations' tone replaced by a mother's love. "I love you more than you will ever know. And not a day goes by that I don't worry about you and pray for your safety."

A few tears managed to escape and she quickly brushed them away. What had she done to deserve this? Any of this? She had once been part of the Dread Youth, giving the order to execute an entire town. Now, she had people who loved her dearly, despite her past.

She had to regain control of her emotions, for just a little longer. Change the subject. Her heart fluttered slightly at the thought and she couldn't help but smile. She had seen Jon move toward them and stop; she motioned him to join them with a small wave. "Mama, I want to introduce you to someone."

"Honey, I already know who he is." Elle looked at her with confusion at Jon's arrival, then quickly at him with concern. "Are there memory issues? Do we need to get her –"

Jennifer cut her off with a gentle finger against her lips. "Mama, this is Jon Power. And I am in love with him."

The concern turned to surprise as Elle reached up to hold her daughter's fingers, pressing a kiss against them even as she smiled at the couple.

Jennifer turned her face up to Jon, resting her head against his chest. "Jon, this is my mom, Noel Rowan."

They had known each other for years. Now, it was slightly unnerving as the transition was made from military personnel to something far more personal.

Without a word, Elle reached out and enveloped them in a warm embrace. Several long moments passed before she finally found her voice. "Well, that only took forever."

Jon laughed. "We decided to take it slow."

Jennifer sandwiched herself between them and closed her eyes. She no longer cared about the pain or exhaustion in her body. Once she had her father with her, her world would be complete.

* * *

The moment Elle pulled the two young people into her arms, Marcus raised his communicator and opened a channel. When it connected, he couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "Sami, you're in for a surprise."

* * *

Nikole Trosko moved quickly through the hangar. The deck chief had given her a bay number and a general direction in which to find it and she was glad she'd given herself extra time to get through the maze of people, equipment and vehicles. There was no way she was going to be late for this. She needed to see Rob, needed to hold him, needed to know he was truly going to be okay, like his commanding officer had said.

A familiar face appeared as she rounded an armored utility vehicle and she verified the bay.

"Abe." She called out his name and he immediately turned, flashing a comforting smile the moment he saw her.

Abraham Carter drew her into a hug as soon as she was near. "I heard what happened. How are you doing?"

She shook her head. They had worked together for so long in the medical wing of the delta quadrant before he'd joined Polarski's team that he would see right through her if she tried to lie. "I'll feel better once I see him. And Jennifer. Seeing their numbers in a computer file and seeing them in person are opposite ends of the spectrum."

Carter nodded his agreement.

"The last thing I heard from Matt was that the two were getting a pint of blood each. Should help with the anemia, at least until they can get the iron supplements or some kind of red meat." Nikki closed her eyes as her brain worked overtime on the potential outcomes of the treatment.

Abe squeezed her arm. "Hey…treating the anemia should help with the fatigue too. It won't happen overnight, but hopefully within the next couple days. They're tough."

"And stubborn." The same worry tightened her gut that had been there when she'd first met the team. "Why don't they have a medic, Abe?"

He'd wondered the same thing. And he had no answer for her.

* * *

Jennifer and Elle found Rob asleep on the porch of the first guest house, sprawled on a couch. Elle quickly moved inside and returned with several blankets, then carefully covered him with one. When he curled into it in his sleep, she added another and pressed a kiss against his hair before quietly going back to Jennifer.

"Nikki will be arriving this evening." Elle saw the look of pure joy cross the young woman's face. "Jon contacted her right after he talked with us. Elzer Polarski's team is in her quadrant at the Passages and they will drop her here on their way back to their base."

Nikole Trosko had come into their lives when they'd all sustained injuries after a particularly intense attack by Soaron. She'd been the nurse working with both Matt and Rob and there was no denying the instant attraction between the young woman and the communications specialist. Three months later, the two were as inseparable as they could be, given the circumstances. Jennifer knew Nikki would be sick with worry, but Jon had obviously anticipated this and had covered all the bases, bringing both her and Rob the comfort they needed most.

"It's a surprise for him, so don't tell him when he wakes up," Elle continued as they walked to the next guest house, vacant for the time being. The porch also had a couch and a couple of chairs and she settled herself into a corner of the couch, then dropped a pillow onto her lap. Without asking, Jennifer laid down, resting her head on the pillow, half curled up on her mother. Elle covered the young woman with a blanket and smiled at the yawn that overtook her.

"I'm so tired, Mama." Jennifer yawned again, the events of the last couple hours catching up with her as the warmth of the blanket and her mother's arms lured her to the edge of sleep.

Elle stroked her hair gently, soothing her the way she'd done countless times before. "Then go to sleep, Love. Sam said you should get as much rest as you can."

"I don't want to sleep yet. I want to catch up with you." Jennifer stared up at her, willing herself to stay awake. When Elle rolled her eyes at her, she laughed, but snuggled in even closer, tangling their fingers together. She didn't care if she was almost twenty-three years old. She still needed her mama.

"Well, then, let's catch up. How about we start with this man you introduced me to. Tell me about him." They talked for several minutes, Elle still stroking her hair, before Jennifer's eyes closed and her breathing became a slow, steady rhythm.

* * *

"My girl is home." Adam Rowan dropped his helmet on the ground and caught Jennifer in his arms, holding her fiercely against him.

She buried her face into his chest and breathed in his scent. He was engine exhaust, grease and sweat, just like he had always been. Jon knew what she needed most. To feel the love of the people who had taken her in as their own daughter and helped her navigate through the worst time of her life.

"I have missed you." Adam drew back slightly and pressed a kiss against her cheek.

"Missed you too," Jennifer whispered, returning the kiss as she hugged him hard again. It had been too long since she'd seen him. The last time they'd stopped at Alpha, he'd been on a mission and they'd been forced to leave before he'd returned. Now that she was in his arms, she didn't want to let him go. "I love you, Dad."

There was no hesitation in his response. "I love you too, Sweetie." He finally set her down on the ground and tapped her nose with a bent finger, keeping an arm around her. "I heard what happened. How are you doing?"

She shrugged and saw the concern in his blue eyes. "Still a bit rattled and Sam says I have to sleep whenever I need it and eat whenever I get hungry. She's got some food set aside for Rob and me in the kitchen that should help us rebound a little faster. Jon's checking our suits and we'll recharge once he clears them." Before he could ask, she continued, "Rob's doing a little better than me. More awake, but still hurting. We'll be okay, I promise."

Adam pressed his forehead to hers. "It's okay to not be okay."

He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. Tears welled in her eyes and her chin quivered. "I know." She wasn't okay just yet.

When the tears streaked down her cheeks, he swiped at them with his thumbs. "Oh, baby girl, you're safe here. Let it out."

She hesitated several moments. She'd been unable to tell Elle, just not ready to talk about it. But now, it was so much closer to the surface. Her words came out as a whisper when she finally spoke. "I was so scared. When that digitizer beam hit Rob and me…" The dam finally broke and with a sob, she crumbled into his arms. "I didn't think I'd see you and Mama again."

Adam rocked her gently, unable to stop his own tears from escaping. He'd shoved it down, deep inside, to take care of the mission. Now that it was over, he could acknowledge that one of his worst fears had almost been repeated.

But it hadn't happened. She was still here, in his arms. Alive.

It took several minutes before he trusted himself to speak and even when he did, his voice shook slightly. "I wish I could take this pain from you, Jennifer. I wish this was one of those times where sparring with you or going for a run would make it all go away, but I know that's not going to help right now." He softly kissed her temple before resting his cheek against her hair.

"I just need to be here with you and Mama." She sniffled. "And the guys."

"Then that's what you've got. All of us. Mama, me, the guys. Stay here until you're ready to leave and not a second before. Even if it means they leave, and you stay a bit longer. Jon will understand. And if he doesn't, I'll help him understand." He pulled back in confusion at the faint giggle that accompanied her next sniffle. "Did I miss something?' Jon knew he was protective of Jennifer, almost to a fault, but he tried his best not to flaunt it quite so blatantly in front of her.

She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and more tears fell when she saw his face. "Dammit, you know I'm gonna cry more if you cry." She dried his salt-and-pepper stubbled cheeks with her shirt sleeve before scrubbing her own face with the other sleeve. Blowing out a deep breath, she sniffled one more time, then looked him squarely in the eyes. "I told Jon how I feel about him. That I love him."

Adam raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. When she simply started grinning through her tears, he ducked his head until he was directly at eye level with her and tapped her nose again. "And?"

"And…" she drew it out until he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He actually said HE loved ME before I told him how I felt."

"Damn right he does!" He pulled her back into his arms to hide the tears that were once again falling. "I trust you've told your mama already."

Jennifer nodded. "She's already smothered him with hugs."

"That's about right. She's been waiting for this day for a very long time." They had BOTH been waiting for this. Adam pressed his lips to her hair again, smothering her with another hug as well. "You deserve to be happy, angel of mine. That is all we have ever wanted for you."

Jennifer wondered for the thousandth time what her life would have been like if she'd been with them from the start. If she had born into their family instead of raised in a world of fear and hatred. And for the first time, she realized it didn't matter anymore. Their love for her WAS there from the start of their time together and their bond was even stronger than blood. "I love you both so much."

"And we love you too." When they had talked on the comm, Elle had told him how she'd simply stared at Jennifer as she'd slept, wrapped in a blanket in her arms. There had been many nights, when Jennifer still lived with them and the nightmares were rampant, that he'd found Jennifer in Elle's arms in their bed. He'd watched both of them and for a long time, he'd only been able to see their little Callie beside Elle. The first time he realized it was no longer Callie he was seeing, but Jennifer, he knew his heart was on the way to healing.

"We should get inside, before Sergeant Rowan sends out a search party for us." With a final kiss on top of her head, Adam grabbed his helmet from the ground and steered her to the base's main building. "I need a shower before dinner."

Jennifer regarded him out of the corner of her eye. "You're only a little stinkier than usual. But that hair. You look like Jon when he wakes up in the morning."

Adam raked his fingers through his hair, making it stand up even more than it already was.

"Oh yeah. That's much better." Jennifer smiled at her father, poking him in the ribs before a yawn escaped her mouth. "I need a nap before dinner."

Rowan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his expression suddenly stern. "And just where are you sleeping?"

Jennifer chuckled and rolled her eyes. "In my room."

"Good answer." Though Jennifer had moved out of their small house several years earlier, she always stayed in the room that had been hers when she returned. This allowed them all to stay up longer than the base's curfew without having to give special privileges or need escorts to move between the buildings. Unless there were missions being run, no one was exempt from the rules that kept their base secure.

"Mama said Jon could stay with me." She added the words softly as she squeezed his hand.

Adam rolled his eyes in return. "I'm assuming that's so he can monitor your well-being. Since he's your commanding officer."

Chase looked up at him and grinned impishly. "Yeah. That's it." And all she wanted, right now, was to be monitored by her commanding officer, under a pile of blankets.

* * *

Rob rolled over on the bed in the guest house room he normally bunked in when they were at Alpha and felt something soft but firm beside him. He hadn't remembered adding extra pillows or blankets to the bed when he'd fallen into it after dinner. Maybe Sam had stopped by and felt he needed more?

Barely aware of what he was doing, he reached out and closed his fingers on fabric. And skin. His eyes opened and though it took a moment, he focused on the reason for his confusion. He'd been holding Nikki's arm.

He breathed out her name and pulled her into himself. Tears broke through his exhaustion and all he could do was hold her tightly as she curled up against him. "Please tell me you're really here."

"I am. And I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, pressing soft kisses against his cheek. "I love you, ."

Rob."

"I love you, too." He turned his head and found her lips, kissing her softly. "God, I love you so much."

Nikki stroked her fingers through his hair and along his cheek. "Go to sleep, Love."

"No. You're here with me. I don't want to miss a minute of this." He kissed her again, fighting a losing battle against his exhaustion.

"I'll be right here when you wake up." Her soothing words and gentle caresses eased him back to sleep. Short minutes later, she allowed herself to relax in his arms and after a final yawn, fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Jon walked across the mess hall, a steaming mug of fresh tea in each hand. He'd seen Abraham Carter at a table in the corner when he'd entered, and figured it was now or never. Polarski was already fairly annoyed with him for asking about the medic, but he understood where the request was coming from and wanted Carter to make his own choice.

"Dr. Carter, do you have a few minutes?" Jon set one of the mugs down in front of him. Didn't matter if he was invited to stay or not, the tea could still be enjoyed while he worked.

The doctor looked up from his datapad at the question and extended a welcoming hand to him. "Of course, Captain. Please, sit." He gratefully accept the mug and took a careful swallow of it as Jon settled himself across from him. "How are Sergeant Baker and Corporal Chase doing?"

Jon filled him in on the treatment they were receiving and the prognoses. "They're out until Sam clears them for duty, which we don't anticipate for at least a couple of weeks. I'm not going to rush things. I need them to heal."

"I'm glad they're going to be okay." Abe nodded and took another sip. "How are the rest of you doing?"

Jon swallowed some of his own tea and smiled grimly. "Still coming to terms with almost losing them. Not an easy thing, nor is it something I ever want to see again."

"It's not the club anyone wants to be part of, is it?"

Jon saw understanding in the older man's eyes. He knew Carter had two sons, both of whom had been declared missing in action after a final assault on a resistance stronghold at what had been Alcatraz, over four years prior. His older son, Denver, had been located just a couple of years ago. Jon didn't know all the details, but what he'd heard was the young man had suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack. He'd been nursed back to health and was now a neurosurgeon who split his time between the US and Europe. Dakota, his younger son, had never been found. There were rumors of a wife and daughter of Dakota, but as far as Jon knew, they were only rumors. "No. And I'm sorry you've been part of it for so long."

"War is hell. Always has been, always will be." His blue eyes told Jon he had witnessed far more than he would ever reveal.

Jon hesitated and Abraham sat back in his chair, regarding him for a long moment. "You look like a man with a lot on his mind, Captain."

"Abraham, I should have acted on this months, maybe even years ago." He blew out a deep breath and finally pushed forward. "Two of my team sustained injuries and I had to search for a doctor to make sure they were going to be okay. I took Molly Striker away from her own team's preparation for a mission because I wasn't prepared. We've got medical training, but it's not enough anymore. We need a doctor." Jon allowed his words to sink in and he knew Abraham understood. "Would you consider a three to four week run with us? I can't promise you a suit at the end of that time because we need to agree that it's a right fit for everyone. But it IS a potential."

Carter sat in silence and when he finally sat forward again in his chair, he folded his hands on the table. "I have considered it and agree to your terms."

Jon looked at him, trying to hide his surprise. He knew he'd failed after the man began to chuckle and all he could do was extend his hand to seal the deal.

Abe took a long drink from his mug. "Captain, you have had a very rough day and as your temporary physician, I am ordering you to get some rest. As soon as I talk with Captain Polarski, I will be meeting with Major Masterson and Lieutenant Ellis. I won't bother your sergeant and corporal while they are recuperating. They don't need me in their face when they're barely awake."

Jon nodded. Polarski had warned him about Carter's commitment to his team's well-being, to the point where he was that proverbial dog with a bone. "Thank you, Dr. Carter. I'll make sure Hawk and Tank are aware of our agreement."

"Call me Doc. Or Abe. Or Abraham. Dr. Carter is way too formal if we're going to be working together." He stood with Jon and shook his hand.

"I answer to Captain Power, Jon, Power, Captain or any variation on the above that is needed." Hell, he'd answer to 'dumbass' at this point, as Molly had called him. He was just too tired to care at the moment.

"Is it safe to assume the corporal is the one that calls you 'Jon'?" Carter raised his eyebrow at him.

Word certainly did travel fast through the grapevine. It would do no good to evade the question, since he was certain Carter would be paying Jennifer a visit by morning, just to check on her. She had already told Jon the Rowans had welcomed him into their home and he was planning to stay there with her. But he could tell the truth and leave him guessing just a little longer. "Jennifer has always called me by my first name. It was one of the ways we learned to trust each other. Matt also uses my name. He took me in when my father was killed. I won't ever be able to repay him for that."

"Family isn't about blood," Abe said softly. "Go get some rest, Captain. You've earned it."

With a final handshake, Jon grabbed his mug from the table and made his way out the mess hall toward the small house tucked into a wooded area at the southern end of the base. He certainly did need some rest.

* * *

Author's Notes: This is all I have for AU Retribution. Thank you for reading it and leaving comments. If you liked it, I'd like to challenge you to write your own alternate universe piece. If you didn't like it, I'd like to challenge you to write a different Retribution.

I plan to return to Rise of the Phoenix, but I have no idea when anything will be ready for it. Maybe 2019 will be the year I finally have enough time to finish that war.


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